Longhorns land highly-recruited DL transfer
The Texas Longhorns' defense has gotten a major boost for the 2025 season. On Tuesday, former Syracuse defensive lineman Maraad Watson committed to the Longhorns. After a stellar freshman season in which Watson earned All-America honors, he will look to build on his success with a new program.
During the 2024 campaign, Watson recorded 31 tackles, including two for a loss. On a Syracuse defense that struggled against the run, Watson was the exception. He earned a grade of 77.4 from PFF across 200 rush defense snaps. That is one of the many reasons the Irvington High School product was hard to keep out of the lineup.
Over the last few weeks, the Longhorns have been busy improving their depth. They now have 10 transfer commitments in 2025. Watson will join a defense that includes Travis Shaw, Cole Brevard, Hero Kanu, and Lavon Johnson. That group should make the Longhorns a hard team to face in a competitive SEC conference.
In Watson, the Longhorns are getting a player who still has some room to grow. He has three years of eligibility remaining, giving the Longhorns plenty of time to help Watson master his position. If he can reach his potential, then the Longhorns' defense will have another star to rely on.
As the Longhorns pursued Watson, they faced plenty of completion. The former Syracuse star drew interest from Ohio State, Georgia, and Tennessee. However, during his visit to Auston on Tuesday, the Longhorns made Watson an offer he couldn't deny. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school. However, his stock was on the rise when he entered the portal.
With the start of the 2025 campaign just a few months away, the Longhorns defensive line is again shaping up to be a strength as Texas looks to end its title drought.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
Florida football center Jake Slaughter is a USA TODAY Sports 2025 preseason All-American
USA TODAY Sports released its preseason All-America teams ahead of the 2025 campaign and included one Florida Gator among the three-team deep roster. Redshirt senior center Jake Slaughter was the lone member of the Orange and Blue to get the call, but the good news is that he made the prestigious first-team list, placing him among the best of the best offensively in college football this fall. "Slaughter is odds-on favorite to capture the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center," Paul Myerberg notes in reference to the highly heralded Gator. The 6-foot-5-inch, 303-pound offensive lineman has already put together an impressive preseason resume, being named to the Lombardi Trophy watch list, as well as the Rimington Trophy and Outland Trophy watch lists, while also being named to the Sporting News' and ESPN's preseason All-America First Teams — not to mention a first-teamer on the coaches' All-SEC team. Jake Slaughter's 2024 stats Slaughter started all 13 games in 2024, amassing a mountain of awards, including the AP All-SEC First-Team, ESPN All-American, PFF All-American First-Team, 247Sports/CBS All-American Second-Team, CFN All-American Second-Team, Phil Steel All-American Fourth-Team and USA TODAY Sports All-SEC First-Team. He was ranked fifth nationally among centers last year with an offense grade of 81.1, while ranking seventh in the country with a run block grade of 79.0. He also led the team in PFF offense, pass-block and run-block grades, as well as the offensive line as a whole in 800 snaps played. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
18 minutes ago
- USA Today
SEC Power Rankings ahead of the 2025 college football season
The 2025 college football season is right around the corner. Despite a down 2024 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have been one of the most talked-about teams this offseason because everyone is expecting a bounce-back year for Brent Venables' squad. The Sooners came in at No. 11 in USA TODAY Sports preseason 1-136 rankings of every FBS program. While that's quite a bit higher than where they ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll or the AP Top 25, the Sooners have a team that looks ready to compete in the SEC. Venables has built a defense that's trending toward being one of the 10 best in the country, and the addition of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer has reignited confidence in the Sooners' offense. Oklahoma could be significantly improved this year and still struggle to find its way to the top of the SEC standings. The SEC is stacked with teams that could make the trip to Atlanta for the SEC championship game in December and half the teams could be in the mix for the College Football Playoff when the calendar turns to November. The SEC won't take part in the week zero action, but with week one just 10 days away, here's our preseason SEC power rankings for 2025. 1. Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs have won back-to-back SEC championship games and did so in 2024 with Gunnar Stockton who is now the starting quarterback with a full offseason of first-team snaps to prepare, as opposed to the week he got to prepare for the Texas Longhorns. Kirby Smart has been the model of consistency in college football. While everyone has written Georgia off, I'm not buying that the Bulldogs will win fewer than 10 games for the first time since 2016 (not including the COVID-shortened 2020 season). 2. Texas Longhorns Just can't bring myself to put the Texas Longhorns in the top spot. They have an elite defense and a good group of skill players. Arch Manning might turn out to be a Heisman contender. But with four new starters along the offensive line, the Longhorns need to prove it to me before I'm willing to put them in the top spot. Go beat Ohio State on the road in week one and we'll talk. 3. Alabama Crimson Tide If there's any doubt about the Crimson Tide, it's that Ty Simpson hasn't played a ton of meaningful football. It's hard to know exactly what Alabama's going to be offensively. They'll run the ball well and play good defense because the roster is loaded with talent. But Alabama will need Simpson to come through in big spots for the Tide to return to the playoff. 4. LSU Tigers LSU is one of the trendier picks to make it to the SEC title game and play for the national championship and for good reason. Garrett Nussmeier has turned into one of the best quarterbacks in college football and he has an abundance of pass catchers to throw to. If the offensive line can hold up in pass protection and the defense improves, LSU will be one of the best teams in the nation. 5. South Carolina Gamecocks Quarterback LaNorris Sellers and defensive end Dylan Stewart are two of the best young players in college football. But the Gamecocks lost a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Will Shane Beamer have answers to replace guys like defensive end Kyle Kennard, safety Nick Emmanwori, linebacker Demetrius Knight, and defensive tackles T.J. Sanders and Tonka Hemingway? 6. Oklahoma Sooners The John Mateer show is about to take the stage in Norman, and it may be as anticipated a debut as we've seen in the crimson and cream in some time. He's been everything the Oklahoma Sooners could have hoped for after transferring from Washington State. If he and fellow transfer Jaydn Ott meet expectations, the Sooners are going to be a contender. Though I'm high on where Oklahoma is entering the season, there's still a bit of "prove it" that needs to occur for Oklahoma. 7. Texas A&M Aggies Marcel Reed has made strides this offseason to improve as a passer and if that translates to the field, the Texas A&M Aggies will be a problem. Mike Elko has a strong defense to work with and the Aggies may have one of the best running games in the conference in 2025. 8. Florida Gators Quarterback D.J. Lagway has been battling injuries this offseason and that's a huge question mark for the Florida Gators. Billy Napier had a solid season last year after a couple of six-win campaigns to open his tenure in Gainesville. Schedule aside, Florida is a talented team, but so much of their success will be tied to the health of their star quarterback. 9. Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels were loaded with a talented roster last year and still just missed out on the playoff. Austin Simmons is one of the most intriguing first-year starters at quarterback in the SEC. Even if he's really good, I'm not sure the Rebels have the talent on defense to repeat what they did a year ago. 10. Tennessee Volunteers Joey Aguilar is officially the starter as Josh Heupel and Tennessee tries to put the Nico Iamaleava saga behind them. Heup has recruited well in Knoxville and the offense will be good. But can the defense repeat their success from a year ago and will the offense be able to lean as heavily on the running game with Dylan Sampson in the NFL. 11. Missouri Tigers Eli Drinkwitz has done a good job with the Tigers, leading Mizzou to back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in a decade. They're one of the many teams in the conference that will be rolling out a first-time starter at quarterback this season. But there's talent on both sides of the ball that could make Missouri one of the more underrated teams in the SEC. 12. Arkansas Razorbacks Taylen Green is one of the most exciting quarterbacks to watch in the conference and would be considered among the best in the SEC were he on a better team. Sam Pittman found a little something with the return of Bobby Petrino. If they can avoid the late game collapse like they did early in the season last year against Oklahoma State, the Razorbacks could find themselves in a bowl game once again. 13. Vanderbilt Commodores The story of 2024 is back for an encore with Diego Pavia leading the way. The offense will give defenses fits. It'll be a tough task to repeat their 2024 success, but they have a lot of confidence and big aspirations. Sometimes belief can carry you a long way. 14. Auburn Tigers Auburn has a talented roster but there are certainly questions to be had about the coaching situation with Hugh Freeze and the quarterback situation appears to be a bit of a mess entering the season. The wheels could completely fall off in Auburn if they open the season with a loss to Baylor. 15. Kentucky Wildcats Kentucky had been the model of consistency under Mark Stoops but experienced a bit of a setback in 2024 with quarterback Brock Vandergriff at the helm. The Wildcats did get a big win over Ole Miss last year to keep the Rebels out of the playoff. Stoops is banking on former SEC journeyman Zach Calzada to be the answer under center. 16. Mississippi State Bulldogs It was a tough first season for Jeff Lebby in Starkville and the schedule doesn't do them any favors in year two. Lebby has an experienced passer in Blake Shapen to run his offense. If they can reach bowl eligibility, that would be a really strong season for the Bulldogs. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.
NBC Sports
19 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Five-Star Brandon Arrington Commits to 2026 Navy All-American Bowl
Defensive back Brandon Arrington (Spring Valley, CA/ Mount Miguel High School), the five-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl. Having been selected to play in the twenty sixth edition of the Navy All-American Bowl, Arrington will play in the annual East vs. West matchup on Saturday, January 10, 2026, in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Bowl will be nationally televised, live on NBC at 1:00 PM ET, and will feature the nation's top 100 high school football players. Let's do it @AABonNBC 🤝 Arrington was selected by the Navy All-American Bowl Selection Committee, comprised of the All-American Bowl, 247Sports, and NXGN. Navy All-Americans are eligible for the Navy All-American Bowl Player of the Year Award, Anthony Muñoz Lineman of the Year Award, Navy All-American Bowl Defensive Player of the Year Award, Navy All-American Bowl Man of the Year, and Navy All-American Bowl Game MVP Award. Only 100 football players receive the honor of wearing the Navy All-American Bowl jersey each year. The 2026 Navy All-American Bowl from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, will be presented live on NBC and Peacock. About the All-American Bowl As an NBC Sports-owned property, the All-American Bowl is part of a marquee lineup of elite events that includes the Olympics and Paralympics, the Premier League, and primetime's #1 show for an unprecedented 14 consecutive years: Sunday Night Football. The All-American Bowl is annually the most-watched, most-talked about, and most-prestigious high school all-star event with more than four million unique television viewers and more than 25,000 fans in attendance. The history and tradition of the All-American Bowl is unparalleled, as it features: 631 draft picks; 103 Super Bowl champions; 274 Pro Bowl selections; and 18 Heisman finalists. For more information, visit or follow us on Facebook, X, and Instagram (@AABonNBC).
