Longhorns Land New Leadership

Austin, TX.: With the end of the 2023 gridiron season, the University of Texas formally introduced PrivateSnowflake as new Athletic Director, taking over the job of the now-departed ssid_27 who took over the same duties at Utah.

The new Texas boss wasted no time in hiring 53 year-old Richard Haden as the new Longhorns Head Coach. Haden brings his exciting style of play from his previous post at Florida and looks to parlay his quarterback coaching experience into future success with the Longhorns young passers.

Haden immediately went to work, releasing a bevy of scholarship players, while making many offers to transfer student-athletes in hopes of flipping the roster to suit Haden's preferred style of play.

The introduction of the new AD surprised very few Texas insiders, as a deal was in the works for a few weeks now. Many prominent boosters have tweeted their support for the new AD and coach Haden and left no doubt their focus is solely on unseating the schools from up north from BigXII supremacy and restoring Texas' rightful place at the top of the conference.

Season and single game tickets are now on sale at texassports.com and be sure to subscribe to the Longhorn Network at espn.com/longhornnetwork.

2024 Recruiting Final

Austin, TX.: Head coach Richard Aden announced his first recruiting class at a boosters luncheon yesterday afternoon in which he was finally able to go in-depth about his top recruits in the 2024 class. They are as follows:

Aaron Gonzales TE, Louisiana: The 6'5" commit was rated the #1 TE by MaxPreps and his commitment should give the potent Longhorn offense another weapon on passing downs as the Longhorns expect to be in a few shootouts this fall as the defense comes together.

Harry Poe LB, Oklahoma: Poe figures to be a pass-rush specialist as he led his HS on a deep playoff run last season. His speed and instincts are "beyond his years" says Aden.

Alfred Brock DL, Arizona: Another weapon for DC Ruben Smith to use to put the pressure on BigXII quarterbacks. Brock has decent speed and size but does come with his share of red flags. If he can stay out of trouble, he could be a decent contributor.

Aaron Hyman DE, Texas: Shows good instinct, but lacks the strength and speed needed to sustain himself against more mature competition.

James Burton DB, California: Texas needs major help in the secondary and Burton, who does not possess the raw athleticism to be a top-tier DB, does have a chance to be a solid competitor when opposing offenses go to spread-sets.

Jermaine Hemingway LB, Indiana: His rush skills suggest he could have a decent college career on special teams.

2024 First Half Round-Up

Austin, TX.: Perennial Big XII doormat Texas has proved a tougher out than ever before. The Darrell K Royal die-hards have longed for a winner and with the first-half of 2024 in the books, fans have found reason to cheer.

Usually a two-team race, the BigXII hierarchy of Oklahoma State and Oklahoma have company atop the standings with the Longhorns clocking in with a 5-3 record. Carroll McCartney leads the nation's 4th best offense with a 120+ QBR with Freshman TE Aaron Gonzales leading the Texas pass-catchers with nearly 900 yards and 8 TD's through 8 games. Not to be overlooked is HB Byron Gribble, who after the surprise release of Anthony Patchen from scholarship, has filled in and then some with nearly 5 YPC while leading the nation's 3rd best ground game. Gribble has also taken over return duties and has rewarded the Texas faithful with two electrifying return TD's.

The Texas defense, long assumed to be the Achilles Heel of the program, has held it's own through the first 8 games. A number 20 ranking is on par with the rest of the BigXII, but still has a penchant for giving up the big play, hurting what has been a better than expected unit performance.

After Homecoming this week, the Longhorns should be favored in their next three. Take care of business there and Texas will welcome Alabama and Oklahoma to Austin with what could have bowl game implications on the line.

Will this be the year Texas finally makes a post-season bowl game?

Bowl Bound!

Austin, TX.: With the Longhorns win over Stanford Saturday night, the University of Texas football program has become bowl-eligible for the first time in school history. Although the date and opponent has not yet been set, Longhorns season ticket holders can pre-order the Texas "Bevo Bowl Package" which includes first right to seat selection and tickets to a VIP private party in the host city the night before the bowl game. Please contact the UT ticket department for more details.

Big XII Champions

Austin, TX.: After years of frustration, University of Texas has captured the school's first Big XII Conference football championship by virtue of a 12-4 season which includes one win apiece over each of the two northern schools. Championship gear is now on sale at texassports.com and through licensed outlets.

The UT ticket office has also announced limited availability of tickets for the Outback Bowl where the Longhorns look for redemption versus the University of Miami which defeated the Longhorns in Week 8 in Miami.

Come get your championship gear and join the Longhorns in Tampa!

Texas' dreams hinge on "sweet" rematch

New Orleans, LA.: The "Big Easy" is decked out in Burnt Orange and Crimson as fans flock to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to witness the rematch of the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2024 All-State Sugar Bowl. The Longhorns will again try to avenge a regular season loss this bowl season after Alabama hung on for a 62-59 win in Austin one month ago. This time, it will be the Longhorns decked in white as the designated visiting team as they try to keep pace with he high-powered Crimson Tide offense. Texas will again be without running-back/returner Byron Gribble for a second-consecutive bowl game, but hand-offs should be far and few between as these two teams should light up the Superdome scoreboard.

Call the University of Texas ticket office of visit texassports.com for ticket packages and Sugar Bowl gear!

Magic Run Out In New Orleans

New Orleans, LA.: The University of Texas Longhorns 2024 season came to an end at the Sugar Bowl, falling hard to the University of Alabama Saturday night. The Crimson Tide defense forced a young Longhorns squad into too many mistakes and the high-powered Alabama offense overwhelmed the weaker Longhorn defense. "We just do not have the playmakers on the defensive side of the ball to make a deep playoff run" cited coach Richard Aden, "At his time of year, you can only game plan so much before talent level takes over."

Head coach Richard Aden was also coy about his future in Austin. When asked if he feels safe with the new game rules taking effect next season, Aden replied, "We have had no discussion with PrivateSnowflake about my future at Texas. We were 100% committed to beating Alabama."

Texas finishes the 2024 season with their first Big XII Championship and first bowl victory (Outback) in school history.

National Signing Day 2025

Austin, TX.: Long-time Texas assistant Michael Ashmore takes over the Texas football program in the wake of Richard Haden's retirement and is able to keep verbal commits from flipping via already established relationships with the new recruits.

In the 2025 class, Texas looked to shore up the passing defense which was vulnerable over the top. With new rules in place, Texas also looked to strengthen the pass-rush, which looks to once again be an important aspect of the game.

Ken Stevenson DB Illinois 5'11 196#
Stevenson is a versatile back, with terrific cover skills. While he may lack top-end speed, the new rules will allow for cover men like Stevenson to be just as valuable versus the shorter routes.

Stefan Sanroman EDGE Kansas 6'2" 238#
Quick with a strong sense of locating opposing QBs, Sanroman will take time to become a pass-rush specialist versus larger OT. He does possess the strength to hold his own, but is a project.

Dale McDonald DT Parts Unknown 6'3" 268#
Strong interior lineman who can be a specialist on passing downs. Good frame, but will take time to fill out.

Thomas Vasquez C Delaware 6'1" 277#
Questions about his strength are valid, but holds up well in pass protection and is smart enough to handle the position if just for limited action.

James O'Neil DT Iowa 6'3" 293#
Questions about his ability versus the run, but has a quick first-step and is good on passing downs.

Jeff Kleinman RB Pennsylvania 6' 202#
Has top-end speed, but may be too fumble prone to trust. Look for him on ST.

Alonzo Perino RB Virginia 5'10" 205#
Fast, smart player with ability to perform as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Barto named interim Head Coach

Austin, TX.: Michael Ashmore has been relieved of his duties as Longhorns Head Coach. Edward Barto has been promoted to HC on an interim basis. The Texas AD has hired a firm to conduct a national search at the conclusion of the season.

Turnovers have plagued Ashomore's short-lived tenure at the helm, overshadowing decent performances by the offensive and defensive units.

A tale of two seasons

Austin, TX: If you tuned in to watch the Longhorns defend their first BigXII championship to start the season, you saw a team far removed from last season's title holders. The club was a mess, penalties, turnovers, lack of takeaways, and a defense that looked lost. The 1-4 start cost new coach Michael Ashmore his job and saw the promotion of Ed Barto on an interim basis. Top recruit, DB Ken Stephenson, who was looked to to bolster the Texas back end, was released from his scholarship after completely falling on his face during summer camp.

But the 'Horns have turned it around: 5-2 since Barto's elevation to the top job, penalties are down, and while there's still a lack of takeaways on defense (due to lack of top-end talent), the offense has been able to hold onto the ball much better. Then there's a nice surprise: the Texas defensive unit. While not good as a whole, the defensive front has shown the ability to get after the quarterback, which is by design, since there is a serious lack of talent behind them.

So four games remain in a season that looked to be an unmitigated disaster at the outset. While a national search for a new head coach will consume the message boards this winter, Texas fans have right to believe their team is a few playmakers away from getting back into the BigXII championship picture next season.