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Three things we learned from Texas' eventful Saturday

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•04/13/25•

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Samari Matthews
Samari Matthews (Justin Wells/Inside Texas)

With over 25 top prospects in the 2026 and 2027 classes on campus, a scrimmage taking place, and coaches on the 40 Acres for the Texas coaches clinic, it was a busy Saturday for the Longhorn football program. Here are three major takeaways from Inside Texas’ blanket coverage of the day.

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Nick Brooks is earning positive reviews

First, it was Steve Sarkisian mentioning Tuesday that freshman O-lineman Nick Brooks has been a part of a healthy competition at tackle. Then, it was feedback from Inside Texas sources that Brooks has been doing well during the course of spring drills. And on Saturday, it was positive feedback from recruits on the freshman from Georgia.

While there may not be a need for the freshman from Grayson High School in Georgia to play this year, he’s proven capable of playing tackle at a high level just a few practices into his Texas career. Feedback from recruits like Dre Quinn, John Turntine, and Bryce Perry-Wright point toward a strong scrimmage performance on Saturday.

Texas is looking to replace four starters on the offensive line, but it’s also looking to create a top 6-8 from Kyle Flood‘s position group that can be trusted to play in meaningful games. Brooks is unique among some of the underclassmen linemen in that his name continues to come up.

The narrowing-down process goes both ways

Schools craft their big boards and place a focus on top targets as the recruiting process goes along, choosing which prospects need attention over the course of the cycle.

Spring visits are also key for recruits in figuring out which schools will make up their top group. Trips taken during the fall and winter of their junior years help to determine which destinations they’ll travel to before their senior seasons begin. Texas saw both aspects of that process on Saturday.

USC commit Xavier Griffin visited Texas this weekend, but reports from Justin Wells indicate Griffin may not continue to strongly consider the Longhorns. Griffin will be back at USC this weekend. While Justus Terry makes the idea of “never say never” tough to let go of, Griffin was hesitant in post-visit interactions to speak glowingly about the Longhorns and said an official visit was just possible.

Looking the other direction, Dre Quinn couldn’t take the smile off of his face when talking about Texas and the city of Austin. He also locked in an official visit to Texas in June, an important data point that shows reciprocal interest. Players and schools both filter their options after the spring, and these two Georgians function as good evidence.

Samari Matthews truly values relationships

Texas was always a school that caught Matthews’ eye, even while residing in North Carolina. But there wasn’t a reason for Matthews to start fully considering Texas until Mark Orphey was hired by Sarkisian. With a coach he had a relationship with now at a school he was interested in, the Longhorns entered the discussion for the top-100 prospect.

Those relationships will be key for Matthews. Clemson, South Carolina, Miami, and Florida State are teams that have built strong relationships with Matthews and will contend with Texas for his services. Meanwhile, it doesn’t appear as if Bill Belichick‘s program in Chapel Hill will have much to say in this recruitment. Belichick and Mack Brown operate differently, to say the least, and Belichick’s style doesn’t have as strong of an appeal as Brown’s did.

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Texas is trending for Matthews after Orphey’s transition to Texas thanks to that relationship, plus the visit that showed Matthews the 40 Acres for the first time.

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