Texas Longhorns Football

Kelvin Banks Jr. is going to play offensive tackle at Texas, he announced Saturday. 

“I felt like there was no place better to be, it’s my dream school, and the place itself is beautiful,” Banks told On3Sports' Hayes Fawcett. “Also, the people and the coaching staff.”

Banks originally committed to Oregon in July, but he opened his recruiting back up after Mario Cristobal left the program to take the head coaching job at the University of Miami. 

pic.twitter.com/RtxAYdJsxg

— Kelvin Banks Jr🎸 (@Kelvinbanksjr12) December 7, 2021

That decision was welcome news for several programs hoping to land the Summer Creek High School standout, who is a 5-star prospect, the No. 2 OT and 15th-best player overall in the 2022 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

The 6'5", 300-pound Banks' player comparison from 247Sports' Gabe Brooks is Austin Jackson of the Miami Dolphins:

Big-bodied, big-framed lineman with potential for position versatility at tackle or guard. Good height and length and wears mass fairly well. Owns a wingspan in the 6-10 range. Shows enough functional athleticism to pull across the formation and lead the way to the perimeter. Flashes some punch when arriving at the second level. Size and strength manifest in drive-blocking ability.

The foundation of a good offense starts in the trenches. Banks has the type of size and athleticism to be an impact player as soon as he steps on campus. His ability to play either tackle or guard will give his new team an option to best maximize his skill set in 2022. 

The Longhorns have been lurking as a landing spot for Banks even before he announced he was decommitting from Oregon. 

Andrew Ivins of 247Sports wrote in October that Texas was a team to watch if he decided to flip his commitment: 

"While Banks hasn’t done anything to suggest that he’s wavering on his commitment to the Ducks, the Longhorns are gunning for a flip and there’s some smoke out there that Banks hasn’t completely shut the door on the folks in Austin."

There turned out to be fire to that smoke, as head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff picked up a huge win for their 2022 class. 

Sarkisian is still trying to build the roster in his image heading into his second season as Longhorns head coach. Landing a blue-chip recruit like Banks is a huge step forward for a program that wants to improve on a disappointing 5-7 record. 

Texas assistant coach Jeff Banks and his girlfriend, Danielle Thomas, are being sued over an alleged incident involving her monkey that occurred on Halloween. 

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, the lawsuit filed in Travis County District Court in Austin, Texas this week accused Thomas' monkey of biting a child who was in the area trick-or-treating and went into a backyard where the monkey was being kept. 

According to the lawsuit, the monkey "aggressively bit down on C.C.'s hand and refused to let go" after the child attempted to get a high-five after being told the monkey was trained to do that. 

The family that filed the lawsuit is seeking damages for gross negligence and defamation. 

The lawsuit also says Thomas was "worried about the risk of her monkey being taken away" instead of trying to help take care of the child following the alleged attack. 

"Danielle Thomas stated to the physician that the monkey had bitten her before and that she was fine, implying that the monkey therefore did not have rabies," according to the lawsuit. 

Schlabach noted Thomas posted a series of tweets that have since been deleted. She wrote the child "had no permission to go pass the gate i had no idea he went in my back yard, neither did i know anything about a bite ! Until a doctor of neighborhood told me the treat a small bite. No parent have contacted me about it !"

Thomas added that "the rules were when u get to the gate turn around and come back out for candy every other parent and child did so !"

According to Schlabach, Thomas has since deleted her Twitter account. 

Banks just wrapped up his first season as an assistant on Steve Sarkisian's staff at Texas. The 46-year-old was hired as an associate head coach, tight ends coach and special teams coach. 

Prior to joining the Longhorns, Banks spent the previous three years at Alabama. He won a national title with the Crimson Tide last season as their tight ends and special teams coach. 

A Washington State alum, Banks began his coaching career at his alma mater as a graduate assistant in 1999. He has also worked at Idaho State, UTEP and Texas A&M.    

The Texas Longhorns were on the wrong side of history in a 57-56 overtime loss to the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday night, marking their fifth consecutive defeat. 

Texas had not lost five straight games since 1956, per Yahoo Sports College Football. 

With the loss, Steve Sarkisian also became the first Texas coach to start his career 4-6. Sarkisian was hired in January to replace Tom Herman. 

As for Kansas, it was the Jayhawks' first Big 12 road win since October 2008 and ended their 56-game conference road losing streak. 

The Jayhawks get their first Big 12 road win since Oct. 4, 2008 at Iowa State, snapping a 56-game conference road losing streak.

It was by far the longest active streak in FBS, which now belongs to Vanderbilt (11 straight). pic.twitter.com/PBQw4hfFIZ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 14, 2021

While Texas scored a touchdown in overtime to take a 56-49 lead, the Jayhawks answered on their possession and went for a two-point conversion to win the game instead of settling for the extra point.

KANSAS WENT FOR TWO AND GOT IT.

THE JAYHAWKS STUN TEXAS. pic.twitter.com/h6VlqqWiQA

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 14, 2021

Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels was impressive in the win, completing 21-of-30 passes for 202 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added another 45 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Running back Devin Neal also had a great game, recording 169 total yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.

As for Texas, quarterback Casey Thompson completed 30-of-43 passes for 358 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy caught 14 passes for 152 yards and three scores in the loss. 

Saturday's win was just Kansas' second victory over Texas dating back to 2000. The only other time the Jayhawks had beaten the Longhorns came in 2016 when they won 24-21 in overtime.

Another interesting note: Texas has 52 players rated as four stars or higher as recruits. Kansas has one. In addition, only four teams have lost multiple games to Kansas since 2011: Central Michigan, South Dakota, Southeast Missouri State...and Texas. 

Kansas is now 2-8 on the season. The team's only other win this season came in September against South Dakota.  

Texas wide receiver Joshua Moore is entering the transfer portal.

"The plan is for Josh to go into the portal," Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters Monday. "That's his option and opportunity to do that; that's what college football provides, and we wish him the best of luck."

Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods reported last week that Moore and Sarkisian had a "heated exchange" following practice. Richardson added that the junior pass-catcher's future with the program was "questionable."

Moore was Texas' leading receiver in 2020, catching 30 passes for 472 yards and nine touchdowns in eight games. He has fallen down the pecking order in 2021, with 24 receptions for 265 yards and three touchdowns so far.

His departure nonetheless leaves the Longhorns in a tough position to finish out the year.

Sarkisian announced last month Jordan Whittington will miss at least the remainder of the regular season because of a clavicle injury. Having already seen a torn ACL keep him out for all of last year, Troy Omeire underwent season-ending knee surgery in September.

Xavier Worthy (36 receptions, 696 yards, eight touchdowns) will have to shoulder an even bigger load in the passing game with Moore out of the picture.

While most fans knew better than to get irrationally excited about Texas' 4-1 start, it looked like in early October that Sarkisian was at least laying the groundwork to make more progress over the next few years.

Since beating TCU 32-27 on Oct. 2, the Longhorns have lost four games in a row, displaying an uncanny ability to unravel in the fourth quarter. Now, a notable skill position player is leaving after a reported argument with the head coach.

Sarkisian's maiden voyage in Austin could be going better.

The Texas Longhorns football team has a lot to worry about, but the recent story about a monkey bite is not one of them.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the viral story Thursday:

Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian said the monkey story is not a distraction at all. Said that's a personal matter.

— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) November 4, 2021

There were online reports that a monkey belonging to Danielle Thomas, the girlfriend of Texas assistant head coach Jeff Banks, bit a child at their home on Halloween night.

Austin Animal Services confirmed there was a report of a monkey biting a child on Sunday and they are currently investigating the situation, per Katie Hall of the Austin American-Statesman. 

Thomas seemingly referenced the situation on Twitter before her account was deleted.

"I had a haunted house on one side gated off ... I had no idea he went in my back yard," she wrote on Twitter. "Neither did I know anything about a bite! Until a doctor of neighborhood told me." 

Banks is in his first year at Texas, serving as an assistant head coach, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach. He followed Sarkisian from Alabama, where he spent three years on Nick Saban's staff.

The head coach doesn't believe this story will affect the team, but it's one more thing to worry about after three straight losses dropped the Longhorns to 4-4 on the year. Texas is set to face Iowa State on Saturday. 

The Texas Longhorns football team is on a three-game losing streak, and tensions are reportedly starting to boil over.

Longhorns beat writer Anwar Richardson reported that wide receiver Joshua Moore got into a "heated exchange" with head coach Steve Sarkisian after Wednesday's practice. Richardson added that Moore's future with the team is "questionable."

Moore had five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown in the Longhorns' loss to No. 16 Baylor on Saturday, but he also had some negative plays in the second quarter of that game. Moore lost a fumble, dropped a potential touchdown pass and another pass was intercepted after it deflected off his hands. 

Moore is Texas' third-leading receiver with 22 receptions for 233 yards and three touchdowns over eight games. He hasn't had more than five catches or 100 yards in a game this season.

The Longhorns have already lost second-leading receiver Jordan Whittington to a broken clavicle, so the uncertainty surrounding Moore's status is another blow to an already depleted receiving corps.

A redshirt junior, Moore led Texas in 2020 with 30 catches for 472 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors for his performance.

The Longhorns' three-game losing streak was a tough stretch in which they faced off against three ranked teams. At 4-4 and 2-3 in the Big 12, Texas will enjoy the fact that none of its final four opponents of the season are currently ranked.

While Moore's status remains in question, Texas will continue to lean on true freshman star receiver Xavier Worthy. Worthy leads the Longhorns with 33 receptions, 657 yards and seven touchdowns.

Texas will look to end its skid Saturday night in a road tilt against Iowa State. 

The family of Jake Ehlinger said in a statement Thursday that the former Texas linebacker died of an accidental overdose, via ESPN's Dave Wilson.

Ehlinger was believed to have taken Xanax "laced with toxic drugs including deadly Fentanyl." 

"The spread of counterfeit pills is an ongoing and significant issue throughout our country, particularly in schools, colleges, and universities," the family added in a statement.

The Texas sophomore was found dead in a residential area near campus in May. 

"We pray that sharing Jake's story will help shed light on this problem and prevent other families from also tragically losing a loved one," the family's statement said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 36,000 people died from overdoses involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl in 2019, a rate 12 times higher than in 2013.

Jake is the brother of former Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who is in his first season with the Indianapolis Colts after being taken in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft. 

No. 12 Oklahoma State remained undefeated with a 32-24 comeback victory on the road over No. 25 Texas on Saturday in Austin.

The Cowboys (6-0, 3-0) have scored three straight wins over ranked opponents after previously knocking off Kansas State and Baylor. A potential unbeaten clash between OSU and in-state rival No. 4 Oklahoma is still on the table for late November.

Texas (4-3, 2-2) really needed a win Saturday to keep a clear path to the Big 12 Championship Game. Now the Longhorns will likely have to win out and get some help elsewhere around the conference to earn the chance to play for the title.

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Notable Stats

QB Casey Thompson (UT): 15-of-27 for 179 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT

QB Spencer Sanders (OSU): 19-of-32 for 178 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; rush TD

RB Bijan Robinson (UT): 173 total yards, 3 TD

RB Jaylen Warren (OSU): 33 carries for 193 yards

WR Brennan Presley (OSU): 3 catches for 30 yards, 1 TD

S Jason Taylor II (OSU): 7 total tackles, INT return TD

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Spencer Sanders' Struggles Could Cap OSU's Upside

Oklahoma State escaped its last game with a victory over Baylor despite three interceptions from Sanders thanks to a tremendous defensive performance. In many ways, Saturday's game was a repeat as the quarterback failed to impress for most of the contest, but his teammates came to the rescue again.

The junior signal-caller, who entered the week with five passing touchdowns and four interceptions, was off target on several throws, especially in the first half as Texas raced out to a 17-3 lead.

OSU's defense kept the Cowboys within striking distance. The biggest play came with Texas in the red zone trying to increase its lead to 21 when Taylor picked off a Thompson pass and returned it 85 yards to paydirt.

run it back⚡️

📺 @CFBONFOX #LetsRide | @JTII_25 pic.twitter.com/Sg1i12FSr6

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 16, 2021

To Sanders' credit, he came up with some critical throws in the second half, including a dart in between multiple defenders to Presley early in the fourth quarter as part of the comeback effort.

Sanders + Presley = 💰

📺 @CFBONFOX #LetsRide | #GoPokes pic.twitter.com/VAzuO7FsJx

— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 16, 2021

Yet, based on his recent outings, Oklahoma State will have a difficult time keeping its undefeated run alive without a significant uptick in performance.

Sanders has had his moments, including a 344-yard, two-TD effort in the Cowboys' win over Kansas State, but he's been far too inconsistent and missed too many makeable throws to have a high level of confidence in his ability to push OSU toward College Football Playoff contention.

The good news for Oklahoma State is that its defense has been on a roll and is giving the quarterback every chance to get his season back on track before it's too late.

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Bijan Robinson Continues to Shine Despite Loss

Robinson showed a lot of potential while splitting the backfield duties with Roschon Johnson and Keaontay Ingram last season. Now he's starting to take full advantage of having a more expansive three-down workload on a weekly basis.

The former 247Sports 5-star prospect put his full skill set on display Saturday. He averaged 6.4 yards per carry and 12.7 yards per catch while finding the end zone three times.

Let’s go! pic.twitter.com/CkOBIIwcPU

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 16, 2021

His strong showing continued a recent run of terrific play that was highlighted by a 216-yard rushing day in the Horns' 32-27 win over TCU in Week 5. The standout numbers have even moved him into a Heisman Trophy conversation typically dominated by quarterbacks.

"It's fun to break a defense's will," Robinson told reporters after the TCU game. "When you know that defense is broken, that's when everything starts to flow and open up."

He's better suited than most backs to wear down a defense because he can make plays in so many different ways. He looks equally comfortable running between the tackles as he does running routes in the pass game. He scored in both manners against the Cowboys.

ANOTHER ONE‼️ pic.twitter.com/DcSJzlZEY8

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 16, 2021

Whether he remains in the Heisman discussion during the stretch run of the regular season will be at least some extent tied to how many games Texas wins, but there's no doubt he's been one of the nation's most impactful players so far.

UNSTOPPABLE pic.twitter.com/A8TBvwYffz

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 16, 2021

Keeping his hot streak alive against the Big 12's second-ranked defense is another strong statement, even though the Longhorns came up short.

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What's Next?

Oklahoma State faces another difficult test next Saturday when it visits Iowa State (3-2, 1-1).

Texas is off in Week 8 before returning to action Oct. 30 with a road game against Baylor (5-1, 3-1).

Saturday's heartbreaking loss will be a barometer for the resilience of Texas' players in the eyes of first-year Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian.

"Big picture-wise, this will test our mettle," he told reporters following the last-second 55-48 defeat against Oklahoma. "This one hurts. That's what sport is about. So we're gonna have to pick ourselves back up to play a really good opponent next week. My mindset is, I'd love to get another crack at these guys, hopefully in December."

Late in the first quarter, Texas appeared to be on its way to the first signature win of Sarkisian's tenure. Casey Thompson and Joshua Moore connected for their second touchdown to help put the Longhorns up 28-7.

But Oklahoma became a different team with Caleb Williams behind center in place of Spencer Rattler, and Texas unraveled. Kennedy Brooks delivered the game-winning score on a 33-yard touchdown run with three seconds left. 

THE SOONERS WIN IT 🔴🔥@kennedyBrooks26 calls game for @OU_Football 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Xok1vwD5pz

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 9, 2021

Sarkisian's squad can't dwell on this result for too long since a date with No. 12 Oklahoma State looms Oct. 16.

The coaching staff, meanwhile, has to again look at what went wrong for the defense, which allowed 471 yards to Arkansas in a 40-21 loss in Texas' second game.

Oklahoma scored on six of its last seven possessions, and Brooks' pivotal run was emblematic of the lack of resistance Texas provided. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry and finished with 217 yards.

Incredible comeback for Oklahoma. As for Texas defense .... you are allowed to impede a running back with the ball.

— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) October 9, 2021

Texas (4-2) likely lost any remaining shot to qualifying for the College Football Playoff, but it could still secure a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game.

As deflating as Saturday may have been, the Longhorns have a lot to play for the rest of the way.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian had Texas' offense firing on all cylinders in a 70-35 victory over Texas Tech in Saturday's Big 12 opener to improve to 3-1. 

The Longhorns racked up 639  total yards, including 336 on the ground, to post their highest point total since the 2005 Big 12 Championship Game. 

Texas has scored 70 points so far today. The last time the Longhorns scored 70 points in a game was in 2005 when Vince Young led Texas to a 70-3 victory over Joel Klatt and Colorado in the Big 12 Championship Game.

The total O/U for today’s game was 63 points. pic.twitter.com/trzCzuC8a5

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 25, 2021

Outside the 40-21 hiccup against Arkansas on Sept. 11, the Longhorns have had an impressive start. 

Texas has outscored its opponents 166-53 in its three victories. Last week's 58-0 win over Rice marked the program's first shutout since Sept. 9, 2017. 

Saturday's 70-point outburst was led by Casey Thompson. The junior quarterback threw for 303 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns. He has as many incompletions as touchdown passes (five). 

Casey Thompson on 20 drives leading the Texas offense: 16 TDs, 2 FGs. pic.twitter.com/y3DnGJ16de

— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) September 25, 2021

Bijan Robinson led Texas' rushing attack with a season-high 137 yards on 18 carries. The Arizona native is averaging 6.23 yards per attempt this season after Saturday's game. 

While it's still early in his tenure with the program, Sarkisian appears to be moving Texas in the right direction. The offense has scored at least 38 points three times in the first four games. 

The decision to go with Thompson at quarterback over Hudson Card, a 247Sports 4-star recruit in the 2020 class, for the past two games is paying off. 

If Sarkisian can keep the offense playing at this level, the Longhorns could be a major factor in the Big 12 race. Their next two games against TCU (Oct. 2) and Oklahoma (Oct. 9) will go a long way toward showing where they stand in the conference hierarchy.