I don't think it's really that hard--someone like Platner that codes working class, real, and is a good communicator will do well. I like Gina Hinojosa (alot, she fine), but bonus points if they aren't coming from Austin and don't have the more obvious taint of virtue signaling Texas Democratic loser on them. I'm a little disappointed that Houston doesn't seem to be a good laboratory for building candidates for anything statewide, mostly ceding that to Dallas.
I like Talarico, too, but I'm expecting him to get trounced and hopefully put to bed the secular fever dream of a Christian liberal candidate that reveals the emptiness of the Christian right and wins elections.
He keeps avoiding us, but one of my questions for Kendall Scudder is to inquire on his efforts to recruit higher profile candidates for Ag and Land Commissioner because I think those are far more realistic than knocking off Abbott and running for those isn’t throwing another body onto the GOP sacrificial fire.
It probably wasn’t intentionally set up like this, but the A&M game and Wisner’s performance likely removed all doubt (I.e., couldn’t make excuses that it was because of the line, defensive performance, Arch not being respected as a passer, etc.)
Also, to add onto this, it's also worth highlighting Crockett's race and gender.
She's obviously pretty bright and must be able to see how low probability a win in a general election might be for her. That said, it's not hard to surmise that Talarico's name recognition is likely worst in low-attention minority communities and she's great at getting attention.
It's probably win-win in that he needs her to help activate them, and she needs a state-wide race (particularly for one that has the prestige of the Senate and it's not something boring like Ag Commissioner) to burnish her resume.
You think there’s more to it than he wants more money than we’re willing to commit to him? I think 99% of the time we’re going to see portaling being about a) NIL commitments and b) playing time.
Talarico has a huge name recognition deficit to the GOP candidates and needs a primary opponent to help drive attention. Spending the money in his war chest is the entire purpose of having it in the first place.
I doubt this is happening, but a competent Texas Dem party would be looking for someone to join the race, maybe like Crockett, if they knew that Allred was headed out.
One in which he’s able to replicate his freshman year performance or better. Someone is getting those carries and it’s going to be a tough sale to convince two portal backs to come to Texas in a featured role.
I’m also presuming Wisner is gone, regardless of whatever IT deigns to rumor, because I think 130 carries is about what he can expect playing for UT next year and I don’t see how that improves his draft stock.
Re: Baxter, I’m curious whether we see him take his name out of the portal if the market isn’t there.
There are worse options than coming back to Texas and getting 100-150 carries as a rotational back in a “show-me” year, with the potential for more, if he’s healthy. I just don’t see anyone paying him based on his high school ranking in 2026.
I used to think that kind of thing mattered, but college football is littered with sociopath head coaches that will trapdoor a kid and have the personal skills to massage around it with his peers.
Also, kids aren’t stupid, they see what we see and know the rules. If you perform you get paid, if you don’t oh well.
Not to get too Marlo Stanfield on you, but you seem to want it one way and college football in 2025 is going to do it the other way.
I’ll add something else about Baxter that @DZX158 appears to overlook-most of these lower profile athletes with NIL deals aren’t offering anything of value to Sonic or Warby Parker or whoever.
In those instances, those NIL dollars come from someone who is writing a check, and usually it’s because they are a fan/alumni of the university and they have the same performance expectations we do. When you’ve got someone like Baxter that’s already been paid a ton and delivered almost nothing you’re not going to get someone that wants to write that check, regardless of cajoling from Banks and Sark.
This is, btw, a somewhat reasonable way to handle the exit interview with a player and mirrors the same kind of layoff potential all the rest of that work for a living have to hazard.
You do understand there’s a finite amount of money and every dollar devoted to Baxter comes at the expense of someone for whom the coaches have more confidence helps in 2026, right? It’s unfortunate that being a great student of the game or good role model as a student athlete doesn’t also result in more than 3 yards a carry.
I’m not aware of what his NIL looked liked in 2025, but I was in 2024 and he’s the most overpaid on the team relative to production. In every professional sport in America that would make him a cap casualty, buy-out candidate or DFA.
No way, unfortunately the prestige of the job is such that it takes a person of rare character to retire before dying in office. Does that sound like Alito to you?
I was ready to call a Sengun/Giannis trade nuts but I just looked up his stats and Giannis is really, really well rounded.
I’s probably favor standing pat because of health concerns (particularly due to age and mileage), but a healthy Giannis on this team is undoubtedly a stronger squad.
Speaking of that, there‘s a fun NY Times Op Ed today from someone positing that the Supremes are actually trying to rescue democracy because the Legislative Branch has ceded so much of its authority to the Executive. They truly are the bulwark against continued despotism!
Actually, the Supreme Court Has a Plan
I’m not following your point and was referencing that offer in my post. You think another team is giving him the Jabari contract as a restricted free agent?
I think the most likely scenario is a sign and trade after the season and that’s mostly if it’s mutually beneficial, and not because Tari has some kind of incredible leverage.
Tari Eason is going to into restricted free agency and there's no immediate need to trade him. I'm a little skeptical that another team is going to be offering that much more than the reported Rockets offer for someone who's missed a whole season's worth of games in his first four seasons of play.
Mocking west Austin partisans is 2nd only to Aggie jokes as a source of mirth.
Interesting that, if you're correct about the numbers, the are predominately on the offense.
Phil Klay with a really good piece on this in the NY Times, I'll gift it because the whole things is worth reading and some good St. Augustine quotes for@Kyrie Eleison, @Brisketexan, and @Ghost of LL that used to contribute to the old Hornfans philosophy thread.
What Trump Is Really Doing With His Boat Strikes
Choice quote: