Horns247 Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Flagship: Former Texas WR Quan Cosby recaps Orange-White spring game Apr 26, 2021

Show notes

On this week's interview edition of The Flagship Podcast, we talk to one of UT's all-time great receivers — Quan Cosby — about Texas' first spring football game under new coach Steve Sarkisian.

Cosby, a longtime member of the Longhorns' football radio broadcasts, weighs in what he saw from UT quarterbacks Casey Thompson and Hudson Card and why he thinks "we're in a good place."

Cosby, who ranks top-five in every major receiving category in the Texas record book and was a member of UT's 2005 national title team, goes in-depth in breaking down what he likes about both Thompson and Card.

Cosby sees a special mental makeup in running back Bijan Robinson that reminds him of some former UT teammates on the 2005 national title team.

Cosby talks about his "measure of a coach" when it comes to suiting scheme to talent as opposed to forcing talent to fit a scheme and feels confident Sarkisian will suit his scheme to his talent.

Cosby gives his thoughts on the Texas defense and why Moro Ojomo having a bigger day than Alfred Collins in the spring game is a good thing.

When it comes to concerns, Cosby lays out where he thinks both the offense and defense have the most room to improve.

And Cosby gives his thoughts on what reasonable expectations for this year's team should be.

Last week, we played Michael Griffin Trivia with Flagship Podcast guest Michael Griffin, the former Pro Bowl safety with the Tennessee Titans and member of UT's 2005 national title team.

We skipped playing Quan Cosby trivia with Cosby, because when we welcomed Cosby onto the Flagship Podcast and included that he's No. 2 all-time at UT in consecutive games with a reception (44) to Roy Williams (47, 2000-03), he had no clue.

"Defensive backs like Griff (Michael Griffin) remember all their numbers because they don't get many chances for an interception," Cosby laughed. "Us receivers catch so many passes, it's hard to keep track of it all."

This is a great way to digest Saturday's spring game with a UT all-time great who ranks top-five at Texas in career receptions (4th, 212); receiving yards (5th, 2,598); and TD receptions (4th, 19) and was half of the greatest receiving duo of all time with Jordan Shipley.

The Flagship: In depth preview of Texas spring game Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

Football is in the air in Austin, Texas. The Longhorns will soon have the chance to show fans all they have achieved over the last few months under the new coaching staff when Texas holds its Orange-White spring game Saturday afternoon.

On this week's episode of The Flagship Podcast, Horns247 columnist Chip Brown and managing editor Taylor Estes go in depth on what to watch for in Saturday's spring game. The Flagship weighs in on the current state of the Texas quarterback battle as first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and QB coach AJ Milwee continue their evaluation of redshirt junior Casey Thompson and redshirt freshman Hudson Card. The hosts discuss the behind the scenes details they've gathered over the last few weeks of spring practice and what to expect from the quarterback position in Saturday's spring game. In addition to the QB battle, The Flagship tackles positions to keep an eye on come Saturday and players who are emerging at several key positions, including wide receiver and linebacker.

Chip and Taylor then shift their focus to some heavy hitters on the team after Texas made RB Bijan Robinson and WR Jordan Whittington available to the media in the week leading up to the spring game. With Robinson being among the early talk of a potential Heisman candidate, the running back discussed his thoughts on the hype he's received since the end of the 2020 season and how that all doesn't matter at this point of the year.

The Flagship changes pace a bit to take a look at the latest from Texas basketball as first-year head coach Chris Beard continues to search the transfer portal for players to add to the Longhorns' roster while also focusing on current roster members who have yet to make decisions of whether to stay at Texas or enter the NBA Draft.

After a quick break, The Flagship returns with Love it or Leave it, with this weeks topics centered around what it will take for Robinson to secure a spot in the Heisman race during the upcoming football season, what we will be talking about after Saturday's spring game comes to an end and what to make of the changes Sarkisian has implemented that goes against the way spring games have been played in previous years.

Catch all of that and much more on this week's loaded episode of The Flagship Podcast.

Longhorn Blitz: Previewing the Texas spring game Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Rod Babers, Matt Butler and Jeff Howe are back to preview the first Texas spring football game of the Steve Sarkisian era. The Longhorns are coming off of their second closed scrimmage of the spring, which provided intel on what the burnt orange faithful might be able to glean from Saturday's upcoming action.

— Hudson Card has reportedly been the top performer of late in an ongoing quarterback battle between the redshirt freshman and Casey Thompson. There's one key thing for the masses to remember as the competition continues and it revolves around patience being required.

— Are a few of the unproven wide receivers stepping up? Names like Kelvontay Dixon and Marcus Washington are coming up more often on and off the record, which is a good thing considering the one thing the top group of Longhorn wideouts has in common.

— A philosophical shift on defense could lead to a lot of similar body types at inside linebacker, nickel and safety at some point sooner rather than later. The second scrimmage offered insight as to how Pete Kwiatkowski views the kind of defenders needed in the middle of the field to slow down space-and-pace offenses in the Big 12.

You can get the latest Longhorn news and analysis at Horns247. The Horn, Austin's flagship station for Texas athletics, is where Rod (3-7 p.m.) and Jeff (10 a.m.-12 p.m.) can be heard on the air daily.

The Flagship: Former NFL Pro Bowl safety Michael Griffin weighs in on Texas Apr 19, 2021

Show notes

In this week's interview edition of The Flagship Podcast, we talk to Michael Griffin, former Pro Bowl safety for the Tennessee Titans; member of Texas' 2005 national championship team; and analyst for the Longhorn Network about the state of UT football.

Griffin talks about how important the quarterback battle is between Casey Thompson and Hudson Card, because of the confidence the QB position tends to instill in a team when that position has a plus-player.

"We had Vince Young, so there's not much more that needs to be said," Griffin laughed.

Griffin talks about why he likes Bijan Robinson as someone to build around on offense but then talks about the questions on offense that still need to be answered.

On defense, Griffin says the production in the secondary has to go up, adding there's been a lack of play-making and turnovers forced that bothers Griffin, who made one of the most memorable plays in UT's national title win over USC with his toe-tap interception and still holds the UT record for blocked kicks.

Griffin explains why he is excited about linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and why Overshown needs to be the "captain of the defense" this season.

While sophomore defensive lineman Alfred Collins showed tremendous upside at the end of last season, Griffin explains why Collins needs to keep backing that up to become a consistent play-making force.

It's also apparent from this Flagship Podcast interview that Griffin is just as bothered about Texas being 2-7 in their last nine games against TCU as the rest of Longhorn Nation. You don't want to miss what bothered Griffin most about last year's TCU game.

We also catch up with Griffin about all the things he has going professionally with partnership with former Longhorn Brian Orakpo in Gigi's Cupcakes (their store is at 71 and Bee Caves in the Hill Country Galleria) as well as his 4-year-old daughter getting kicked out of school.

We also play "Michael Griffin Trivia" with Griffin to see if he can answers questions about his own football career correctly! It's a fun, can't-miss interview this week on The Flagship Podcast!

The State of Recruiting: Texas making noise with out of state prospects, latest on west Texas stars Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

The State of Recruiting is a podcast about recruiting in the State of Texas. Horns247 recruiting analysts Mike Roach and Nick Harris work the road in Texas week in and week out to collect the latest recruiting information.

In this week's show, Mike and Nick discuss some of their travels and some out-of-state prospects and Nick recaps the weekend's GASO tournament.

Hosts: Nick Harris and Mike Roach

The Flagship: Surprises, concerns for Texas midway through spring football Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

Texas football has surpassed the midway point of spring practice as the Longhorns make their way through Year 1 of the Steve Sarkisian era in Austin. The Longhorns are making their way towards the April 24 Orange-White spring game as some players are stepping up to prove themselves to the new regime, while others have a ways to go on the field.

On this week's episode of The Flagship Podcast, Horns247 columnist Chip Brown and managing editor Taylor Estes weigh in on the current status of the football team midway through spring ball. The Flagship talks loads of football news, including the Longhorns who have made a name for themselves up to this point in spring practice and the players who have much to prove to the new coaching staff. One position group that has some work to do is at wide receiver, which Sarkisian pointed out following the ninth practice of spring football. Chip and Taylor discuss the somewhat surprising news that even veteran receivers are not taking that next step under Sarkisian and Co. while also pointing out some pleasant surprises at other positions, including Denzel Okafor and the middle linebacker rotation.

In addition to football talk, The Flagship weighs in on the latest news for UT basketball after first-year head coach Chris Beard took over for Shaka Smart and seeks to revamp the Longhorns' roster. Texas hoops received some positive news this week with both Jase Febres and Andrew Jones announcing their return to the Longhorns, and also give some names of players to watch who could enter the transfer portal to land on Beard's first roster at Texas.

After a quick break, The Flagship returns with the weekly 'Love it or Leave it' segment, with this week's topics focusing on the biggest surprises and biggest concerns for Texas football in spring practice, the importance of Beard getting some senior players to play one more year with the Longhorns and more!

Texas fans won't want to miss this loaded edition of The Flagship Podcast.

Longhorn Blitz: Picking up Steve Sarkisian's breadcrumbs after first spring scrimmage Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

Rod Babers, Matt Butler and Jeff Howe are back to break down the first Texas spring scrimmage under Steve Sarkisian. The 100-play scrimmage saw no injuries occur according to the head coach, which made for a successful outing two weeks away from the spring game.

As for the other information coming out of the scrimmage...

— After rigid and repetitive personnel groupings and rotations under the previous regime on the Forty Acres, Sarkisian's comments indicate a new day has come for the offense.

— The offensive line has gone through a ton of cross-training throughout the spring under the direction of Kyle Flood. How much depth can the Longhorns manufacture before Derek Kerstetter gets back in the mix?

— The defensive staff is tinkering with where to best utilize Tyler Owens. How much getting him closer to the ball fit in with the growing trend of successful linebackers in the Big 12?

Those topics and more get discussed on the latest edition of the Longhorn Blitz podcast!

The Flagship: Former NFL QB Sean Salisbury weighs in on what Steve Sarkisian can bring to Longhorns Apr 12, 2021

Show notes

In this week's interview edition of The Flagship Podcast, we talk to former USC and NFL quarterback and host of The Sean Salisbury Show (6-10 am CT weekdays on 790 in Houston) about his friend Steve Sarkisian's hire at Texas.

Salisbury, who left USC after the 1985 season as the school's all-time leader in pass completions (346) and yards gained (4,481) before a 10-year pro career in the NFL with a CFL Grey Cup Championship mixed in (1988), talks about his initial reaction when he heard Sarkisian had been hired at Texas.

Salisbury talks about how things might've come too easily for Sarkisian as a head coach at Washington and USC before being humbled and how working his way back up after stints in the NFL (with the Atlanta Falcons) and under Nick Saban at Alabama have primed him for this opportunity at Texas.

Having been a head coach at a blueblood program like USC and having been the offensive play-caller for a national championship team at Alabama, Sarkisian knows the expectations at a place like Texas, Salisbury said.

"Sark knows eight wins isn't good enough and that if it's nine wins, those wins better include a win over Oklahoma and not another loss to TCU," Salisbury said.

Salisbury said Sarkisian knows at places like Texas, USC and Alabama, "it's not enough just to win the conference title. It's about getting to the Final Four and having a chance to win it all."

Salisbury even provides a timetable for Sarkisian to reach the College Football Playoff.

As a former NFL quarterback who continues to coach young quarterbacks through the Let It Rip QB School, Salisbury breaks down why Sarkisian is such a special play-caller and why his matchups with OU's Lincoln Riley should become legendary.

Salisbury talks about what Texas quarterbacks Casey Thompson and Hudson Card are having to digest right now in spring football in terms of the volume of Sarkisian's offense and how they should be approaching things.

"If your offensive coordinator or play caller missed a game, because of an illness or emergency, could you as the quarterback be able to call the game?" Salisbury said. "If the answer is no, you're not studying hard enough."

This is a can't-miss interview edition of The Flagship Podcast.

The Flagship: Longhorns turning heads in spring football, Chris Beard hits the ground running Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

There's no shortage of intel on this week's episode of The Flagship Podcast. From spring football to a new basketball regime in Austin, Horns247 columnist Chip Brown and managing editor Taylor Estes weigh in on all the hot topics surrounding the Longhorns. The Flagship kicks off with the latest intel from Texas spring football and the Longhorns who are standing out early under the direction of first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff. The hosts talk young players who have caught the attention of veterans thus far in spring ball and the latest with the positions of concern, including linebacker and wide receiver.

The Flagship then shifts focus to Texas hoops after the Longhorns hired former Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard as Shaka Smart's replacement. After taking the job less than one week ago, Beard has hit the ground running at Texas and has hired some key members to join his coaching staff. In addition to the coaching hires, Chip and Taylor also discuss some names to watch in the transfer portal as Beard looks to add to his current Texas roster.

After a short break, The Flagship continues with Love it or Leave it, with this week's topics touching on positions to be concerned about in spring practice, Beard's bold statements in his introductory press conference and much more!

Catch all of that and more on the mid-week edition of The Flagship Podcast.

Longhorn Blitz: Questions arise as Texas resumes spring practice Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

Rod Babers, Matt Butler and Jeff Howe have football to talk about with the Longhorns back on the practice field following a pause due to COVID-19. Steve Sarkisian led his squad through three practices in as many days before Easter Sunday and while there's a long way to go before wrapping up spring practice with the April 24 spring game, there's plenty to glean from the team's recent workouts.

— Juwan Mitchell is in the NCAA transfer portal, leaving a gaping hole on the depth chart at inside linebacker. Who's left in the room and what should the focus be for the group for the rest of the spring?

— With that as the backdrop, the reported emergence of Darion Dunn as a player of significance at cornerback could help Pete Kwiatkowski resolve personnel issues across the board defensively.

— How's Sarkisian dealing with the enigma that's become the tight end room on the Forty Acres? It sounds like there's plenty of experimenting occurring in that regard.

Those questions and more get answered on the latest edition of the Longhorn Blitz podcast!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected