Official Orangebloods ******** Meter
5 – Total and undeniable ******** (Vince Young hurt his hand in a fight the night before Texas/OU)
4 – Probably ********, but we probably shouldn’t be emphatic about it
3 – There’s enough of a possibility of it being true, that we should file it away just in case.
2 – You think it’s probably going to happen, but things can change in the blink of an eye. (It’s Austin.)
1 – Total and undeniable truth
Let’s get on with it.
Rumor No. 1: Arch Manning was injured and that impacted his throwing mechanics last week
Grade: 4
I wish I could give this one a 4.5 grade because I was inclined to go with 5 but can’t say with 100-percent certainty that Arch didn’t have a hangnail or something. This rumor popped up over the weekend after Manning struggled in Columbus, but I’m not buying it. Word would have leaked somewhere if there was any sort of issue behind the scenes and that talk only came up as a sort of justification for his struggles. Not to mention, quarterbacks don’t ever get touched in practices. My thinking is that the issues with mechanics/accuracy were more a product of the stage he was playing on, and the opponent he was playing against, above anything else. (Suchomel)
Rumor No. 2: Florida State is Texas’ biggest threat for 2027 quarterback Kavian Bryant
Grade: 3
Palestine Westwood quarterback Kavian Bryant is one of the Horns’ top targets in the 2027 cycle, and he did just visit Florida State last weekend so you have to take the Seminoles seriously. Bryant undoubtedly liked what he saw in FSU beating Alabama and probably liked the usage of FSU quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who got to make plays with his arm and his legs. Florida State will probably be a factor when Bryant decides, which could happen as early as next month. I just don’t think the Seminoles are THE biggest threat in this one. I’m still eyeing Texas Tech with a possible ridiculous NIL deal, similar to the one that has already helped them land the nation’s No. 1 and No. 12-ranked players in the 2027 class. (Suchomel)
Rumor No. 3: Kosi Okpala wasn’t the Texas lock most people thought he was
Grade: 1
Maybe Creek linebacker Kosi Okpala committed to Texas in July, and most observers felt Texas was going to be the pick for probably a good year before he announced his decision. It turns out, Okpala to UT wasn’t always a sure thing. In talking to the 2026 Texas commitment this week, he said there was a time during his recruitment when he was actually favoring Penn State over Texas. That all changed in the end and Okpala pretty much gave a silent commitment on his official visit before publicly announcing on July 3. (Suchomel)
Rumor No. 4: Wardell Mack is at a crossroads of his Texas career following his DWI arrest this week
Grade: 1
“Wrong time, wrong time, wrong time,” one source texted me on Thursday morning when I inquired about it. “One of the big messages from the staff this week is that no matter what happened in Columbus, we go again this week with the same focus and drive. San Jose State is Ohio State this week. There can be no loss of focus if we want to achieve our goals. What can’t happen is that a guy who isn’t playing becomes the one example from this week of what it looks like when we’re not focused. As competitive as it is at his position to get on the field, the person I wouldn’t want to be right now is the poster child for what it means to not doing what the staff is literally stressing all week. Good luck with that.” (Ketch)
Rumor No.5: The Texas Football staff is frustrated about Jonah Williams missing so much time in 2025 because of a baseball injury
Grade: 4 (but maybe fluid in 8 months)
“I think everyone just wants him to get healthy,” a source texted me this week. “He could have hurt his hamstring in the spring football just as easily as playing baseball. No one has said a word to me about there being frustrations with him playing baseball. However, this might feel different if this is something he never shakes this season and then he’s gone again for most of the spring. I hope we’re not sitting here 15 months after he arrived here and we still don’t fully have a clue where he stands on the football field because of bad luck. He’s been here 8 months and it doesn’t feel like we’ve fully had him with us yet.
