DIFFERENT: Texas Longhorns Add More OL Depth | Steve Sarkisian Makes BOLD Declaration

We break down Texas football’s latest offensive line moves, from a surprise late portal pickup to spring cross-training that finally makes the two-deep feel real. Then we zoom out to Sark’s blunt message on expectations before shifting to Texas basketball’s Sweet 16 heartbreak, portal priorities, and the women’s dominant march to the Final Four. 
• Paris Patterson signing as a depth-focused transfer portal addition 
• Why small snap counts can still signal real pass-pro value 
• Westlake 2027 commit Jackson Cook and the case for development over stars 
• Spring practice position moves and cross-training along the interior 
• Early picture of the starters and a more stable second unit 
• Sarkisian’s comments on NIL being settled and coaching hard again 
• Why Sark compares the roster feel to Alabama’s elite standard 
• Men’s basketball Sweet 16 loss to Purdue and what it says about the team 
• Sean Miller's roster construction needs include a true point guard 
• Portal names and the domino effect of Dalen Swain’s decision 
• Women’s basketball Final Four run, defense-first dominance, and title path 
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Transcript

Welcome Back And Big News

SPEAKER_01 0:04

We have some major Texas long horns offensive line.

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Longhorn nation.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Welcome back to the Texas Longhorns on SI podcast. I'm your host, Matt Glatson, joined as always by my co-host, Zach Demitt. Zach, we have some uh some big news, a lot of different big news for the Texas Longhorns offensive line that has all come out over the last really 24 to 36 hours, I should

Paris Patterson Adds O-Line Depth

SPEAKER_01 1:02

say. Uh and I kind of want to start with the new transfer. Uh Paris Patterson from SMU uh has officially signed with the Longhorns, according to reports. Uh Sark was not asked about him today, but he is a talented offensive lineman that is going to be a valuable depth piece for this team. Uh, you know, it we we didn't necessarily expect to see any more portal additions after the 19 that were already signed, but now we have number 20. And Paris Patterson is an interesting one because he originally signed with Arkansas out of high school and then transferred to SMU, where he appeared in 11 games last season, just 21 snaps on offense. Uh, every one of those snaps came at left guard. He had 16 run block reps and five pass block reps. Uh, his final two outings against Boston College and Louisville, he played in 17 of those total snaps uh and graded out pretty well. Um he's six foot three, 323 pounds. Like I said, he'll be a solid depth piece, but against Boston College, he had a 71.3 pass block grade, which is really good, uh, and a 64.8 run block grade. And then against Louisville, he had a 69.7 pass block grade and a 55.6 run block grade. Again, that was just 17 snaps. But uh but a really interesting pickup here for the Longhorns that just makes you feel a little bit better about that offensive line depth when it's all said and done.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

For sure. You definitely feel better about it because that was a big concern for a lot of fans heading into this offseason, and understandably so. Um, but I I think that there's there's a lot of reason to feel feel good about you know what's at you know what the team has in store at that at that position, you know, not just at the tackle spots or the guard spots, but overall, just as a group. Um, you know, Paris Patterson is not gonna be a guy that's gonna step in, you know, to this to this locker room with tons of snaps or tons of experience underneath this belt. Um, but at the end of the day, he has been, you know, in the division one level for a few years now, even though he redshirted uh one of his seasons at uh at SMU, you know, after starting at Arkansas, he's still been around the game. He's still been learning. So I think um as a for a for a guy that's gonna be in a in a depth role, that's all he could really ask for. Um, so I I think it's it's a nice, a nice addition. It was very surprising, kind of came out of nowhere. Uh Steve Sarkeesian had even said, like in late last month in February, that unless something crazy happens, I would imagine we're done, but never say never. And so you see that you see that right now. Never say never. Uh, you can always get a late edition out of the portal. Of course, at this point in the offseason, you're not gonna be getting a starter level guy. Um, unless, you know, unless some teams just completely overlook someone and you just happen to pounce on a guy who ends up being a starter. That's the only way that could really happen. But um, yeah, any any portal edition at this point in the offseason was going to be a depth piece. And I think it's a nice, uh, nice move there for Texas um because you know, we've we talked about you know, Melvin Ciani and Trevor Goosby and Connor Robertson, and um, of course, Lawrence Seymour. That was more big news about you know a week or so ago, uh, with his eligibility getting uh granted. So that your starting group looks pretty good, but uh, you know, and add Brett and Brandon Baker into that mix as well. But um, you know, after that, we've talked about it before that the depth is somewhat of a question uh because you just have guys that are younger, um, not as experienced. But I think um, you know, as we'll talk about in a second, that Sark likes what he's seen from some of those younger guys, but uh you just don't know what you have. And so to get a guy with some you know level of experience with you know, two pro two different programs, even though Arkansas um you didn't really play at all, so uh this is still experience with the team that that's valued that's valued because you're still getting practice reps, you're still in the film room, and you're still learning and growing as a player. And so uh yeah, a nice, nice addition there. Hopefully, um, you know, you you would hope that this upcoming season uh that uh you know he doesn't uh that Patterson doesn't play because that would mean injury to some of your starters. But hopefully by 2027, uh he's able to that would probably be his like final year of eligibility, I believe. He'd be able to maybe get some uh some starter level reps by not this season but next season. Uh because uh, you know, that's what Stark has talked about with the portal is that you're not just getting guys that are just gonna be one and done contributors necessarily, you're also looking at guys that can be developed because you uh at the end of the day, that's how it is with the portal now. You know, you have to build for the future and not just for this one season ahead. Um, so and something that that's something interesting to think about when it comes to Paris Patterson, if he can be a contributor for 2027, um, because the offense, the offensive line is gonna look a lot different after this season. Um that's just the that's just the reality. So uh nice nice addition there, and hopefully one that can benefit them for the future.

SPEAKER_01 6:03

Yeah, and you know, not the only addition either that they made, which we'll get into in a second, uh the only one through the portal, but they also got a commit. Uh we'll talk about that real quick in a sec. But uh this does kind of give you a little bit better of a better of a view of of what the depth at offensive line will look like. Um, you know, you don't necessarily have to rely on guys playing multiple positions in a depth role anymore, which I'm a big fan of. And before we finish off this segment, I'll give you like a little bit more of an updated projection on what that offensive line might look like.

Westlake Commit Jackson Cook

SPEAKER_01 6:34

But in terms of the commit, Zach, uh Texas gets another Westlake kid. This is their first Westlake commit since Colton Vosick, I believe. Uh Jackson Cook, another interior offensive lineman, a three-star in the 2027 class. So he will not be on campus next fall, of course, but he will be uh likely in the spring of 2027. Um number 62 interior offensive lineman in Texas, number 128 player in Texas, number 963 player nationally. Uh not a big headliner, but this is a guy who plays for a power program in Westlake that produces a lot of Division I talent. And uh it's it's always an exciting thing when you can get more interior offensive linemen for this for this football team.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Yeah, you know, a lot of and I I get it, a lot of people are gonna um you know shake their heads and go, oh, he's just a three-star. And but come on now. I mean, these guys have to develop. This is a 2027 commit. We've seen so many three-stars uh across college football, and they could they arrive on campus not as high-rated or high-ranked and they eventually turn into great players. And obviously, Texas has has had great success with Westlake guys, you know, Ethan Burke, Michael Taft, obviously. So um, you know, listen, these these Westlake guys, they're they're born and bred as longhorns, uh, for the most part. They're they're raised into you know into wearing burnt orange, and so they kind of have a an extra sort of uh not chip on their shoulder, but an extra piece of motivation to to you know play well for the program. And so um until proven otherwise, I think Jackson Cook can be can be a great player down the line at Texas. Of course, we don't know that that's this this is still seasons in you know in the future uh before we really see what kind of impact he he could have. But um I don't don't pay don't pay too close attention to the to the star uh or the rate or the ranking um because these guys they have to develop, not everyone's gonna arrive as a five-star. And so a lot of times five stars don't work out either. Uh obviously uh we have Jackson Cook, but look at Jonte Cook. He didn't exactly work out and he was a five-star at Texas. So um I I'm I think it's a nice addition. Uh anytime you can uh you know bolster the future of the offensive line, especially with the local guy, uh it's it's a good move in my eyes. And so we'll just have to wait and see a few years from now what he's really able to provide for the program.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Yeah, I mean, you look kind of the history with uh Austin, Westlake, and Texas. It's been a pretty good uh pretty good group of players that have come through the 40 acres from uh from the chaparrals. I mean, Jackson Cook is the latest, we'll see how he works out, but Michael Taff, Ethan Burke, uh, as Zach mentioned, are also both really high-level players for Texas that came from Westlake. Uh, Connor Robertson, also a starter at center for you. Uh Colton Vosic is another guy that, you know, we're still waiting for him to blossom, but he's a very talented player and one that's been a depth piece for this roster for a while. Uh let's not forget Sam Ellinger was an Austin Westlake prospect as well. Yep. Uh, you look around college football as well, and uh, you know, they're they're he they're not the only ones. Um, you know, Jaden Greathouse from from Notre Dame is also a Westlake kid. Bray Lynch, the national champion winning offensive lineman, also a Westlake kid. So they are littered across college football. This is just another one that is making his way to Division I ranks. His teammate, by the way, Reese Wise, uh, who was the quarterback of Westlake last season, uh, and I I believe I can't remember if he's a 27 guy or a 26 guy. I think he's a 27 guy. Um let me let me check that real quick. Uh no, he's a 26 guy, so he he just committed to Ole Miss. So another Division I guy from Westlake. So let's let's let's pump the brakes on the on the hesitancy with these kids. They they usually turn out pretty well at the college level and contribute at a high level. So that's a good one there for Texas

Spring Reps And Two-Deep Picture

SPEAKER_01 10:41

as well. Uh but now we look at this 2026 offensive line, Zach, and it's starting to look pretty interesting with the addition of Paris Patterson. We now have kind of a better idea of what the depth looks like. And then Steve Sarkeesian spoke to the media today and gave us some some pretty interesting insight as well. Uh, he told us that uh Dylan Sikorsky has been working at both center and guard, so he is kind of cross-training at those positions for depth. Uh Jonte Newman has been working at left tackle. Jaden Chapman, who has spent most of his career as a tackle for the Longhorns, has been playing almost exclusively at left guard so far. And then we also heard a little bit about Jordan Coleman as well. Um, one of the Coleman twins. We have Jordan Coleman and we have Devin Coleman. Jordan has also been working at left tackle, and when Trevor Goosby was out, he was kind of your number one left tackle uh you know during that time period. And and you know, Sark had some really good things to say about him. Like he's he's a really talented guy, he moves people, he's athletic, you know, he can he can he can move around, you know. And you know, is he the most consistent guy in the world? No. I mean, he's gonna be a red shirt freshman, so it's gonna take him some time to grow, but you like what you have seen out of him so far, and that kind of gives you a better idea of what this depth chart is gonna look like, Zach. I mean, we know what the starters are probably gonna be. Some combination of Trevor Goosby and Melvin Ciani at your left and right tackle, Connor Robertson at center, then Lawrence Seymour and Brandon Baker are gonna be your guards. We don't know officially if they're going to which one is going to play left and which one is going to play right. You know, it it could go either way. I have been a big proponent of Brandon Baker at the left guard spot, but I'd be fine with him playing right guard. It would be a natural, easy transition for him from right tackle. Lawrence Seymour has played a ton of left guard in his career, so that's fine there. But then behind them, you now like you you pretty much know what your second team offensive line is going to look like as well. You got Jordan Coleman at left tackle, you got Jaden Chapman at left guard, Jackson Christian or Dylan Sikorsky at center, Paris Patterson or Dylan Sikorsky at right guard, and then Andre Kojra at right tackle. I mean, that's a pretty good group of 10 right there. And that's not even taking into account the younger guys like John Turntine the third, who has been impressing people, and uh Jackson Christian, who you know I am very high on. He is an absolute bully, and I want to see him play some football. And then the dev the other Coleman twin, Devin Coleman is also a really good player. And then we have Jonte Newman coming in from Texas AM as well. I mean, this is a this is all of a sudden, this has turned into a pretty deep and talented group.

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Yeah, you really can't complain at all if you're a Texas fan about you know what they've been able to do when it comes to not address not just addressing the starter, the starters on the offensive line, but the depth as well. It's pretty impressive. I mean, it's not too often you see uh three portal guys as depth pieces on the O-line. Uh, because most guys out of the portal, they want to they want to come to a new program and start right away. And so credit to Sikorsky and Jonte Newman and and now Paris Patterson as well for being, you know, because they wouldn't have committed to Texas if, you know, if they um, or some people wouldn't have committed to Texas knowing that they're gonna be on the bench, but these guys were doing that uh because they they probably obviously knew when when when they made the decision that they're not gonna be starters, the coaching staff was probably very open about that with them, and it was pretty obvious, and just knowing the personnel already on the team. So uh yeah, I think those guys, um Sikorsky, John T. Newman, and Paris Paterson in particular, I think they're gonna see their uh um you know their decision pay off for them in the in the future, you know, probably as maybe as soon as next season, as being guys that can compete for starting jobs. So, but then of course you talk about some of the uh the the guy the commits, uh the high school commits, like you know, Jordan Coleman. I think what Stark said about him today uh was stood out uh quite a lot because you know Trevor Goosby, of course, uh was dealing with that shoulder injury, uh, had had surgery, but you know, he's good to go uh you know during spring for the most part, but he you know they've kind of eased him back in. And so it gives an opportunity for a guy like Jordan Coleman to get reps at left tackle, and that's a lot of pressure. Uh Sark even said we've had we've had Trevor Goosby, but we've had Kelvin Banks at left tackle, so there's a lot to live up to. And so um the fact that he's still been impressing uh while having to go against guys like Lance Jackson or Brad Spence or Colin Simmons, and he's still been able to impress the coaching staff. This is a lot about what he can provide, uh, hopefully down the line. And you know, you'd you'd hope not as soon as this upcoming season, but if an injury does occur, you know, there's a little at least confidence in the coaching staff that he'll that Jordan Coleman will be able to step in and and and not completely be a liability or anything, and he'll be able to contribute. Um, but I think the future looks looks pretty bright uh on the offensive line because I mean the reality is that after the season's over, Trevor Goosby, Lawrence Seymour, maybe Melvin Ciani, uh Connor Robinson, all those guys are gonna be gone. Um, so that that's you know, that's you're gonna have to do this all over again next offseason. That's the reality you live in in today's college football world. But um, so you want to be able to build for the future.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Yeah, and I really like the Coleman twins as well. Uh a lot like Jackson Christian, they are not shy. Uh, they are not afraid to go up against these big guys like a Colin Simmons, like a Brad Spence. Um, you know, uh it's or Lance Jackson. Like that they are they are taking the fight to these veteran guys, and that's the kind of thing that you love to see out of these younger offensive linemen. So I can't wait to see how this thing turns out. I mean, I'm not trying to be too much of an optimist here, but I I think that this could end up being the most talented uh slash deepest offensive line that Texas has had in the Sark tenure when it's all said and done by the end of the year. And that is saying something because they had an offensive line where I believe four of the five guys ended up getting drafted, and uh that was the 24 offensive line. And uh I believe Jake Majors also signed an undrafted free agent deal. So all five of those guys ended up in the NFL. If you can replicate something like that and then add a little bit to it, maybe make it a little bit meaner, uh a little bit more physical, a little bit better in the run game, then this thing has a chance to really, really be special. Uh, but that's not all you know we've talked about with Sark, and we're gonna get into more of his press conference as we go on in the week. Uh, you know, we'll talk about Colin Simmons, we'll talk about wide receivers, we'll talk about all those different

Sark On Expectations And NIL

SPEAKER_01 17:14

things. But um Sark also, you know, we're gonna transition to Sark in an interview that he had with Chris Lowe, real quick, because I thought it was particularly interesting, Zach. Uh, Sark is not shying away from the expectations uh that have been placed on this team uh so far this spring. I mean, a lot of people believe them to be your favorite to win the national title. I believe Colche has odds right now giving them the best uh chance to win the national title. That's not the only sports book uh to do that kind of thing either. You know, the the expectations are extremely high for this football team, and with good reason. They went out in the transfer portal, they got a bunch of dudes at a bunch of positions of need. And you look, you know, and my and my buddy Brooks Austin did a breakdown of their depth chart uh a few days ago, and uh he, you know, and we consulted about that a little bit before his show, and and he he legitimately believes that this could be the best roster from top to bottom uh in college football. And I don't think that that's necessarily a stretch. Uh, and and with that obviously comes the expectations. And and here's what Sark had to say about those uh expectations when it came to his interview with Chris Lowe. He said, This is it, this is our team. We've got to coach these players. The players are like, this is where I'm at. We don't do anything uh in our NIL contracts or our set of base, we're done talking about money. Everyone's deals are done. It's about a uh it's about being a team and becoming the best team we can be. I'm not going to the spring right now, worried about if I coach a kid hard that he might leave or have a player who had a bad practice walking off the field and calling his agent and saying, Hey, can you get me out of here? Can you find me a new home? I don't have coaches come uh I don't have coaches coming after watching tape saying, God, we have we've got to go find a new safety because this kid can't play. Um and you know, he uh he also said that there's still a lot more out there. Unfinished business. Oh, that was sorry, that was Trevor Goosby. Uh anyway, but the the point is he is not shying away from this thing. He knows that this is the team that he has that that he feels gives him the best chance to win a national title. And I've got a couple more quotes for you from that. But Zach, give me your give me your initial thoughts on what Sark had to say there.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Yeah, uh you gotta love how open and honest Sark is sometimes. Um, he doesn't necessarily always take that approach with with the media, but sometimes he'll do these little side interviews and he'll kind of he'll kind of provide some extra context that that is really refreshing because um he's he's just laying it uh you know down how it is. I mean, yeah, these the deals are done, the money, the money is uh uh secured with these guys, and now it's just about going out out here and playing. And um, yeah, I I think that um this this is a team that he kind of expected um you know a few years down the line once he got the job that could really, really compete for a national championship. Of course, Texas already made it to back-to-back college football playoff semifinals, and those teams were very much capable of competing as well for a title. I mean, they've only only a few plays away from making it to the um you know to the biggest game in college football. So um, but I think this year's team, now that you know you've been preparing for the archmaining era, um you're you're able to put a lot of talent around him, not only on offense, but then on the defensive end as well. Um yeah, I I think uh this is the team that they've been waiting for, the coaching staff, and and now it's here, because with Archman last season, there was tons of hype surrounding him. And you know, understandably, he he kind of was a little bit shaken by it at first. Um, but as as Sark said, I don't know if it was in that interview or if it was another interview where he said um 99% of kids, um, if they're in archmaning shoes, would have completely melted at all at all the pressure, and instead Arch just completely um you know turned things around and turned and turned up his his performance. And I think you know, now that you know what you have in Archman, and I don't think you're gonna see any of those early season jitters. Now I think that this team is really ready to take a next step and compete for national championship. Because last year's team, despite all the struggles, they were still right there with a really great argument to make the college football playoff. I don't think they necessarily deserve to make it in. You could make an argument with some of those other teams, but um I you know they were right still right there despite you know all of the negativity surrounding this team last season, which is pretty incredible. Um, because you would have thought that uh, you know, Texas was like six and six last season, the way some people were talking about him. So um, yeah, I think uh I think um you know the way Sark the way Sark is laying it down uh is is really refreshing to hear. And it's not like it's you know a new approach from him, but he's just being honest about it. And so uh now you gotta go out and play and Uh they certainly have the talent to compete for national championship. But at the end of the day, yeah, we we saw what happened last season, so can't get your expectations too high. You gotta you gotta wait and see what happens on the field.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Yeah, but this is the real money quote from Sark. Uh that, you know, and I completely agree with you, Zach. But this is the real money quote from Sark that really makes you believe that he is confident in this team. He said, uh, this is what this feels like it used to feel like, and we didn't always have that. Uh we always had some years where it's been one side of the ball and some years where it's been the other side of the ball. This is different. And and and that to me, the the the fact that he sees that this roster is just different than what he has had uh over the past few years, I think that that's something to be particularly excited about because he's not just gonna come out here and say, uh, you know, last year he was like, well, you know, if we're hoping to play 16 games, we got some things to fix, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, we're good here, we're good there. We got to figure out some things here. He is saying that this roster is just built different. And I think that that is something that's extremely important. He also went on to say about the team, um, it's the engagement and the competitive spirit on both sides that jumps out. I'll never forget in those years at Alabama with Jerry Judy, Jalen Waddle, and Devontae Smith, and those guys uh could just be assholes in the way that they went at the defensive guys. Uh, but they respected Pat Sertain. I they they respected Xavier McKinney. There is a lot of that, but at the end of the day, they walked off the field together. That's what it feels like here. Um for I would say probably for the first time, I feel like we have top-level talent across the board, position by positions on both sides of the ball, but yet we also have depth behind it across the board. It I felt like we've had years where we've been elite at a couple of positions, and maybe we didn't have anything behind it, and it would have been really scary to think about what would happen if certain guys went down. Uh, you know, you could you could go on, and I won't read every single thing that he said, but but he just compared this Texas Longhorns team to his Alabama national title team. I don't know if you if if if you really understand what that means. That was one of the best teams in the history of college football. That was one of the most prolific offenses in the history of college football. Uh and he says that this team feels like that team. That's a big statement.

SPEAKER_00 24:26

Yeah. I mean, yeah, when it comes to someone like Sark, he's seen the talent up close and personal, not only just at the NFL level, obviously, but at the college level, he's seen exactly what it looks like when a team is a national title contender and the guys are just different, like he said. So um some coaches may say those, throw those words around, and it is what it is. But a guy like Sark has seen what what that looks like. And so I think it's uh very worth your while to pay attention to those words because yeah, he, you know, in in seasons past, you know, even when some of these good Texas teams have been in the in the CFP, he hasn't really talked about it like that necessarily. I think the talent on this year's team is is just different, like you said. And so uh now it's about putting it all together. Because the thing about uh some of the uh previous teams, I think, and like the Quinn Ewers era and the 2023-2024 teams, I think what those teams had was um uh a few more extra years of chemistry building uh you know behind their backs, because that was the group that brought Texas back. Um, you know, if you want to look at it that way, where this year's team, it's a lot of new faces all kind of meshing together. So the talent's there. Now it's about seeing how they all mesh together because I think that's one of the key differences with this year's team and and those teams that made it to the CFP um a few years back. So uh, but yeah, obviously tons of reason to be excited, and I think the talent uh on this team is gonna is gonna take Texas far this year, hopefully to the national championship. Um, but certainly you can't be missing the college football playoff again, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 25:59

Yeah, no, that that that cannot happen. Um by the way, I thought it was funny that that uh SEC Mike came out and and had like this discussion about well, first of all, he's like, who's better, who's a better head coach right now, Mike Elko or Steve Sarkeesian? They picked Mike Elko. I like Mike Elko. That's a ridiculous statement. Uh also he came out and said and they debated who's gonna get fired, Sark or Brent Venables, and they went with Sark. And I just again absolutely absurd. I get the engagement farming. It's the offseason, but let's let's let's try not to be absolute shock jocks out here. Uh all right, Zach. You know, Texas football isn't the only uh isn't the only Texas athletics team in the news. Uh obviously the Longhorns, men's and women's team were both uh are both in the or were both in the NCAA tournament. The men's team lost to uh to Purdue. What is the future of the men's basketball team under Sean Miller? Uh we'll talk about that next.

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SPEAKER_03 26:58

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Sean Miller Era Next Steps

SPEAKER_01 28:00

And Zach, we'll start with the men's basketball team. Uh, a heartbreaking loss to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16. Uh, I really thought that they could have pulled this one off. And at, you know, at the last second, Purdue gets the game winner on a tip-in from one of the most annoying players in college basketball, and Trey Kaufman-Ren. That Purdue team plays like a European soccer team with the flopping and the hand waving and the cheap stuff. Uh, they met they moved on and then they got absolutely blitzed in the next round by Arizona, so they got what was coming to them. But heartbreaking loss for the Longhorns, 79 to 77. Uh, Tremone Mark was absolutely unbelievable in that game. He scored 29 points. Dalen Swain, uh, he was also 11 for 15 from the field, by the way, which is unbelievable. Uh, seemed like he couldn't miss. Dalen Swain had 15. Jordan Pope had 12 on a broken foot. Uh, so that team really played its ass off. They they left everything out on the floor, just didn't end up their way. And uh, all things considered, wildly successful year in year one under Sean Miller, despite all of the downs. There were plenty of ups, and they got further than I think anybody expected them to in the tournament. But now it kind of leads us to the conversation of what's next for uh for the Texas Longhorns men back men's basketball team. We have an idea of what a basic roster might kind of look like. Uh, according to Nick Cody, Modus Voikatis should be back next year. Obviously, he has yet to announce that or make that decision himself. We also believe that Cam Heidi, Declan Daru, uh, Louis Obiora uh will all be back. Uh Austin Goosby, of course, is coming in, and there's also some other recruits coming in. But, you know, I I guess we'll start the conversation here, Zach. What should Texas pursue in the transfer portal? Uh, I think that they need to find a true point guard. I would like them to find another big, maybe one that can be a little bit more of a you know, shot blocking presence behind Modus. Uh, and I think you need to find a couple more shooters, but but where do you see them going? What is priority number one for this basketball team?

SPEAKER_00 30:15

Well, it all kind of depends on what happens with Dalen Swain's decision, uh, because whatever decision he makes uh immediately affects what you're gonna do in the portal, um, because that's a lot of money that'd be going towards him that would otherwise go to another guy um out of the portal. And so really just it starts and ends with kind of what he does. Uh so if if Swain leaves for the NBA, which is the more likely uh scenario, you you want to get a scoring wing. Um, it's it's gonna be hard to find a guy like Swain out of the portal with his with his size and his ability and NBA level talent, but you want to try to get that, of course, regardless of if Swain stays or not, you want to try uh to get an elite veteran point guard that you know can can really run an offense because this past season Jordan Pope was you know, Sean Miller called him the starting point guard, but Jordan Pope is not a point guard, he just isn't. Um that just wasn't his strength. He's he's much more of a you know a shooter. Um, you know, he can score in isolation, he can score uh off screens, and he he was a very talented three-point shooter, but uh not really a true playmaker. So um that that kind of held Texas back at times this season, and yet despite that, there was still one play away from making it to an elite eight, which is insane to think. Um, but yeah, you got you gotta you gotta get a veteran point guard that that can really manage a game. Uh he can put up some high assist numbers. Um, so it's it kind of starts with that. But yeah, Dalen Swain and you know Modus Booketis, you know, we of course Nick Cody did say that Modus will be returning, but I I I asked Modus, you know, one-on-one in the locker room after the Purdue loss, and he kind of gave the professional answer. You know, he said, I'm not focused on next season quite yet, I'm focused on this season. But I think the expectation is that you know, barring another team coming out of nowhere and offering him an NIL deal that Texas can't can't match, that Modus will be back next season uh with Texas, which is which is big because if if he's another year of growth, another offseason of growth, uh, I think it'll look it'll look great because he really came on uh at the end of this end of this past season. So uh but yeah, it really just starts with Dalen Swain. You don't really know exactly what's gonna happen with this roster until you know for sure what Dalen Swain will do. And it is kind of tough the way that the um the calendar works out. Uh if he wants to really pursue the NBA draft, um, you know, he could still end up coming back uh to college, but then that leaves Texas in a hole because if you know he's taking all that time testing the waters or whatever, and by that time all these other portal guys have already made a decision and gone to other teams, and Texas is kind of left uh you know, figuring out what Swain is gonna do. You know, should we have pursued another guy while he's while he's testing out the draft waters? It's it's it's a tough situation because he deserves to get that feedback, but also Texas needs to start making moves in the portal um and can't necessarily just wait around for his decision. So uh yeah, it's we're still really know exactly what's gonna happen. Uh Simeon Wiltshire is a guy who I think could enter the portal. Um, Camden Heidi said after the game that uh he wants to return, but we'll see. I mean, he he did he was a consistent starter on the team, but his usage was not really there and he kind of was invisible at times, in my opinion. Um, aside from a few a few big threes. Of course, he had a big three against Gonzaga to send Texas to the Sweet 16, but overall, there was a lot of times where he wasn't as impactful as people might have hoped. Um, Simeon Wolcher, though, I think uh his minutes were really down. Uh he had some turnover problems. Um he's a guy who I think can enter the portal because he's gonna head into the senior year, and I don't know if he wants to ride the bench behind Austin Gooseby. So um, you know, John Clark, another guy who registered this past season. Uh, does he want to uh continue to serve you know a bench role, or is he gonna want to go to a place at a lower level where he can get some you know real playing time? Well, these are some things we're just gonna have to watch for. Um, but yeah, not no not really any movement so far yet with Texas on that end. No one's really entered the portal, no one's really announced a decision. But a lot of these teams, a lot of these players have started to do that. So uh I think it's only a matter of time before we we see what some of these guys do. Um, but yeah, it like I said you know a few times already, it starts and ends with what Dalen Swain does because once that domino falls, the rest of the roster can kind of fall into place because then not only uh your personnel, but purely just from a money standpoint, you kind of know what what you're gonna be dealing with. So this is some things to watch for.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

Yeah, and and that leads me to my next question, Zach. That I think a lot of people who are listening to this podcast is are wondering. And you know, uh Dalen Swain, we we don't know whether he's coming back or not. He has a really big decision to make. He could be a fringe lottery guy. I think his stock probably slipped a little bit over the last you know couple of weeks of the season, but he would be a first-round pick. I'm pretty confident in saying that. Yeah. Um keeping him out of the conversation, assuming he goes to the NBA draft, which I I think is probably uh your most likely outcome. What is your starting five next season? Like what do we think that this could look like? And if you know, if if we're if we have a transfer in one of these spots, you can just say transfer. Um, but I I think that there's a couple of positions that if if what we know is true, that that we know this is going to be who's in those spots. I I think that you can pencil down Modus as your center, assuming he returns. I think you can probably pencil in Cam Heidi as a starter, at least as of right now. But after that, I'm not entirely sure because you lose Tramon Mark, you lose Kendall Weaver, you lose Jordan Pope, uh, probably Simeon Wilcher is what we're guessing, although that's not necessarily confirmed. Uh you you you get Nick Cody back. Uh, you know, you lose uh probably Dalen Swain. I mean, it it's good, there's gonna be a lot of uh it flux in this roster. So what do you see the starting five being in 2026-2027?

SPEAKER_00 36:21

Yeah, and I just quickly, yeah, I want to, you know, confirm that obviously uh I'm just speculating about Simeon Wiltshire potentially leaving. I'm not, I don't, you know, I that's just my guess based on his but based on his minutes. But overall, I think the uh the starting lineup could look something like uh Austin Goosby at your two, uh Cam Heidi at your three, you know, three three or the four, and then uh modest at the center, obviously, but then you're starting point guard and you're starting three or four, depending on who it is. Portal, those are two portal guys. Um you know, I it's uh Texas is not gonna be able to really compete in the SEC next season unless they get two starting level guys out of the portal. That's just the reality. Um, obviously, you know, in the first year under Sean Miller, your two leading scorers were out of the portal in Dalen Swain and Manos Focatitas. So uh it's probably gonna be a similar sort of recipe there. Um, we just we just don't know who those guys will be quite yet. But you got to get a starting level point guard. Austin Goosby, I think, you know, he uh he has a lot of scoring ability, but putting him in uh in a starting point guard role in the SEC in year one as a true freshman, probably probably not the best thing to do. Uh he's super talented, but it's just a lot of pressure on a guy right away, especially when you have tournament aspirations. So I think if you get a veteran guy at that spot. Um, but then yeah, Camden Heidi, he can play the the four. Um not that he's an incredible rebounder or defender or anything like that, but he has the size. I thought I like him better at a three. And if you can get uh a scoring four who can handle the ball and can probably lead your team in scoring next season uh at the power forward spot, that that's gonna be a nice starting lineup for me. And then off the bench, you have guys like Bo Ogden, uh who can who's gonna provide some nice minutes as a as a shooter, and uh Joe Sterling, another true freshman coming in, very good shooter as well. There's some really good shooters in this upcoming uh freshman class for Texas. So um you add a Nick Cody off the bench. Um, you know, Declan Duru, I think, has some nice potentials as a defensive guy. Uh, but yeah, it there's probably going to be multiple portal editions uh for for this team this offseason. So we don't really know what it's gonna look like until we start seeing some of those dominoes fall. Uh, but that's kind of what the starting lineup will look like for me because um it's hard to put you know a true starting five with names in those places right now because it's not realistic to think that Texas won't be starting two portal guys next season.

SPEAKER_01 38:48

Yeah, I mean I I completely agree. I mean, it's it's hard to say right now uh who those other two starters are going to be. There has been an influx of players who have entered the portal thus far. Is there anybody that's standing out to you so far, Zach, that that you think Texas could potentially pursue or at least that would make sense for the Longhorns? I mean, I know that there's a couple of names off the top of my head. Uh Paulius Murikas from from uh from St. Mary's would be a great addition at power forward uh slash center. He's a big guy. Uh I don't know that that necessarily fits what Sean Miller wants to do offensively because you know he was he played for a St. Mary's team that was a little bit slower and a little bit more defensively uh oriented. Uh, but then there's a guy like uh Dadan Thomas from uh the point guard from LSU, who I think would be very interesting. So I like I mean, how about you? Is there anybody else that's standing out on that list that that you think that would make sense for the Longhorns, or are you still kind of waiting to see that domino drop?

SPEAKER_00 39:48

Uh yeah, kind of waiting to see who who stays and who goes. Um, I do think Miles Bird out of San Diego State. He he's listed as a shooting guard. Interesting name to watch though. He's a stands at 6'7, 190. I mean, this guy he lots of size, and you know, do you want him to play that point guard spot along? So Austin Gusebean to kind of trade off that. Uh, we'll see about that. I haven't you know heard anything about that with Miles Byrd uh regarding him, but he's you know, he's one of the top available guys in the portal right now. So if Texas wants to take a swing at him, might as well. Uh, but Colby Garland out of San Jose State, um, you know, San Jose State had like less than 10 wins this season, but he averaged 20 points, 4.6 assists. Um he's already uh he's already in the portal again, and he's gonna be on his fourth school in four years. And uh, but after averaging 20 points, you know, at the Mountain West level, um, is he ready to maybe take the next step and be a guy that can contribute for Texas as a starter? We'll see. Um he's played at Drake, he's played at Longwood. So he doesn't have necessarily power level experience, but he has the numbers that that definitely catch your eye a little bit. Um, you know, one guy who I think if somehow, if somehow Modest Bocatitis were to be offered a uh NIL deal that he can't refuse, um I think uh Santo Sorreal, uh the center from Georgia, he just under the portal today. If if somehow Modest is not on this team next year, you gotta take a swing at him because this guy led the led the country in blocks this past season. Um, he is just a dominant force at the center spot, way different than Vokatis. Um, he he's not gonna be a guy that Texas is gonna get as a as a bench roll behind Vogatis. It's not a reality. But if somehow Vogatis is, you know, uh is out of the pitcher, which I don't think will happen, he's a guy you should probably target. But um, yeah, a few other other point guards to mention. You mentioned DJ Thomas out of LSU. He's got experience. Jackson, uh Jackson Shellstad out of Oregon, really nice scoring scoring guard, uh listed as a point guard who I think can play that spot, but he's more of a scorer, in my opinion. Um, and then you got um Jalen Lowe uh from Kentucky. He was uh the only thing is that he was injured uh all this past season, but another talented guy there, uh, you know, Finzley Bizjack out of out of Butler. Uh I've I've I've watched him for a few years now, and he's actually you know pretty impressive scorer there. Um, he's actually a Texas guy as well. So um, but yeah, there's just a few names to watch. Not anything uh you know set in stone when it comes to connections with these guys to Texas quite yet, but just uh interesting names to watch when it comes to who's available in the portal. But there may be some guys that Texas wants that aren't even in the portal quite yet. So this is just kind of a waiting game right now. Uh, but when it comes to the portal, a lot of these things kind of um are quiet at first, and then they all kind of start falling together pretty rapidly. So it'll only be probably another week or so before we really see some of the action going down because the portal does open April 7th.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

Yeah, and the point here is a lot is still to come for Texas basketball uh when it comes to roster construction, what this team is going to look like. It's a very exciting future because I think that Sean Miller really proved over the last few weeks of the season that he can put together, like even if he had doesn't have the roster that he necessarily wants, that the pieces all don't necessarily fit the way that they need to fit to run his offense, he can still get the best out of his team when it matters most. If Texas and Chris Delcante can see that, which I think that they do, and they really believe that they can invest in him as a head coach and get him the players that he wants, I think he could end up doing something very, very special in Austin when it's all said and done.

Women’s Final Four Run

SPEAKER_01 43:23

Also, Zach, before we get out of here, I I think we would be a little remiss if we did not mention the Texas women's basketball team. Um, they are absolutely unbelievable, number one. Uh they uh punched their ticket to the Final Four uh with an absolute drubbing of the Michigan Wolverines. Uh they win that game 77 to 41. Uh they uh they held Michigan to 23% shooting, 13% from behind the arc. Um Madison Booker. Led the way with 19. Kyla Oldaker. Oldakre had 12 off the bench. He also had 15 from Justice Carlson, 11 from Brea Cunningham. This looks like a team that very well could compete for a national championship. Just really special stuff from them last night. But also one of the funny things is all there was all this talk about how Michigan was staring them down as they walked into the walked into the arena. And I don't really know that they were staring them down, Zach. I think that they were kind of looking at them like, oh, I don't, I don't know, I don't think we want this smoke. This is this is going to be tough. And that that's it, that's what ended up happening. Texas just absolutely drugged them across the floor. And uh it's nice to see the women's team kind of carrying the torch for uh for Texas basketball uh heading into the final four. So really good stuff from them.

SPEAKER_00 44:53

Yeah, I mean it is incredible to see some of the dominance at the top when it comes to women's basketball. I mean, Texas, I mean, Michigan was seen as a team by by some that could uh sneak into the final four as a two-seed. I mean, they had a great they had a terrific season, and Texas made them made them look like a 16 seed. I mean, that is just incredible work by Vic Schaefer and that and that staff. Um, you know, last year making it to the final four, he came up short. But this year's team, uh it's it's very special. And it would be really it'd be really heartbreaking if this team is not able to win a national title because of what Rory Harmon has done for this program, what Madison Booker has done, Kyle, uh Kyla Oldacre uh coming over as a transfer. She's been so big the past two seasons. Um, you know, I just it would it would be heartbreaking to see this team not win at all. Uh but it and it's gonna be super, super tough. They play UCLA, who only has one loss this season, um, and that's gonna be in Phoenix. And so uh UCLA has a little bit of kind of a travel advantage there. Um, but then the winner of that game uh has to play Yukon or South Carolina. I mean, it it regardless of who ends up winning uh the women's national title, it's gonna be an absolute bloodbath between these teams because there's so much talent, all four number one seeds uh making it to the final four. There's just so much talent uh in Phoenix, you know, for the for this year's Final Four. And certainly Texas is right there in the mix, but it's kind of hard to separate Yukon, South Carolina, Texas, UCLA. I think UCLA, I mean, they're they only have one loss, but I think Texas, South Carolina, and Yukon are probably uh in their own tier. And so now it's just about who can play their best on a given night. It's gonna be really, really tough. But this Texas team has so much heart, they've been through so much together. Um, I really just want to see this team win it for Rory Harmon and Madison Booker. I mean, those two have just been the same with Jordan Lee as well. I'd be remiss to not mention her. Uh, but they they've just done so much for this program. And to see Vic a guy like Vic Schaefer, who I think is just beloved on the 40 acres, to see him win a title with this year's group in particular. He'll he'll win titles down the line at Texas. We already know that. But this year's group is just so special, and the way that the the way that they've um the things that they've done for Texas over the past couple years has been so big that I just really want to see this year's group win it. Uh, but we'll have to wait and see. It's gonna be a really, really tough out, um, even if Texas does make it to the title game because they'll have to face UConn or South Carolina, which is not not an easy task at all.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

Yeah, and look, I've always loved Vic Schaefer, but the fact that less than 24 hours after a dominant win over Michigan in the Elite Eight, the dude goes turkey hunting and bags himself a bird. Uh, gotta love that. That's my head coach right there. Uh, Texas will face off against UCLA on April 3rd at 8:30 on ESPN. Um, they are favored by one and a half, and then on the other side of the bracket at 6 p.m., it will be 35-3 South Carolina, who Texas is is two and one against this year. That should be noted. They did beat the Game Cox twice versus the 38-0 Yukon Huskies. Uh I don't know how that that program keeps doing stuff like that. It's absolutely crazy. But uh, they're a really, really good team as well. So it's it's gonna be a fight, but I think Texas does have a really good opportunity to to do this and take this thing home. It's a really special team, so we'll see how that ends

Wrap-Up And Listener Callouts

SPEAKER_01 48:12

up. Uh, but thank you so much for tuning in to this edition of the Texas Longhorns on SI podcast. Please make sure to like, subscribe, and rate our podcast and comment down below on YouTube to let us know your thoughts. It really helps us out in the algorithm. But most importantly, be sure to tell somebody you love them. We'll catch you in the next one.