The Texas Longhorns are in a lull before firing on all cylinders ahead of the 2026 season, looking to once again handle expectations that are larger than most programs experience, for the season year in a row.

Ahead of the season, though, head coach Steve Sarkisian is already gaining victories on the road before even kicking off. After a slow start on the recruiting trail, the Longhorns are in full swing, stacking elite pieces for the 2027 cycle.

Now it is no different, as the program has landed a commitment from Jason Johnson, one of the most sought-after defensive line prospects in the country, and a big piece of the Longhorns recruiting class for the cycle.

Who is Johnson?

Johnson is widely viewed as one of the most slept on prospects in the class. He is ranked as the No. 42 defensive line prospect in the class and is a top 60 prospect in the state of Texas. Despite his star rating, though, he is one of the most sought-after prospects in the class, including multiple offers from elite programs around the country.

Standing at 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, he has the size of an edge defender but the strength and bull-rush ability of an interior defender, combining an elite mix of speed and power that makes him difficult to handle in the interior.

Johnson has a lot of projectability in his frame, and has the strength already to go with it. As he continues developing at the next level, he has the chance to turn into a legitimate interior wrecker at the college level.

Where Johnson Will Impact the Longhorns Future

The Longhorns have been the beneficiaries of elite defensive linemen under the reign of Sarkisian, and that won’t change for the upcoming season or beyond. The program has shown a profound ability to develop talent across the front of the defense and will continue to do so.

For Johnson, the defensive front is manned by veterans across it, with talented underclassmen waiting in the wings for their turn on the field. It also doesn’t help that, so far, he is the lowest-rated defensive line commit of the class for the Longhorns.

Still, the coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Will Muschamp love what Johnson brings to the field, and that was one of the reasons that his class ranking didn’t bother them. He will get the time to develop in the program, and could turn into a vital piece of the future.

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Three women have been arrested and charged with murder in the death of a mother of five in South Texas.

The Del Rio Police Department initially responded around 2:10 p.m. Thursday, June 25, to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center after receiving a report of a woman with multiple stab wounds. Upon arrival, officers determined the assault had occurred in the 800 block of East 10th Street.

Del Rio police on Thursday, June 25, took into custody Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, and Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, in connection with the murder, according to the department’s media post.

The woman, identified as Caroline Peña, 32, according to KENS 5 in San Antonio, was transported to a medical facility in San Antonio for treatment but later died from her injuries.

According to the department, investigators gathered surveillance video, processed evidence, conducted numerous witness interviews and identified the three women as potentially being involved in the incident.

Two hours after responding to the initial call, officers located and arrested Kitty Diaz and Amaya Diaz without incident. Shortly after, officers located and arrested Kyandra Faz in connection with the investigation.

Video captured during Kitty and Amaya’s arrests shows both women grinning as law enforcement places them in their police vehicles.

All three suspects were transported to the Del Rio Police Department for booking and processing. When investigators were notified of the women’s deaths, each was charged with murder and transported to the GEO Correctional Facility.

Del Rio police say the investigation remains ongoing, noting that additional charges may be filed at a later time.

Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.

There’s nothing more quintessential to being a kid than playing Little League baseball, but on July Fourth, 2025, along with so much more, the Little League fields of Hill Country were destroyed, along with the innocence of thousands of kids who live here.  

With so much else to rebuild, a baseball season in 2026 seemed like more than a dream.  

But just like every other challenge, this community, with a little help from some major league friends, came together and did what some thought was impossible. They made sure that baseball was back, right on time for opening day this March.  

Fresh cut grass, chalk on dirt, and the familiar sound of strikes being thrown.

It’s baseball season in Texas, opening day in fact.

“I could not go to sleep, I was just so excited. I got up early, took a shower, did my hair,” said Lilly Wirth, a softball player. 

And with opening day comes fanfare

But nothing about this march day was promised. Just eight months prior, this beautiful ballpark simply was washed away.  

“We had our last game July 2, and we closed up shop and were like, ‘We’ll come back kind of clean up maybe this weekend,’ kind of go through stuff, and we all know that did not happen,” said Amy Barnes, a mom and the concession stand manager.

 Like almost everything else, the July Fourth flooding completely destroyed the Little League fields in Hunt.  

Barnes and Caroline Key are both moms in the Little League; Key coaches her kids’ teams. They thought they had lost their season, along with so much more.

“July 5, when we walked around, we were… stuck, we were devastated and sad and pretty bummed,” said Barnes.

“My daughter is a student at the Hunt school, and we lost two students from our community. In addition, we lost some of our friends too,” said Key.

“When we woke up in the morning, everything was wrecked. We had a pretty good view of where it happened… It was wrecked,” said Annie Key, Caroline Key’s daughter and a softball player.

When asked how she felt after the floods, Annie Key said she was sad, “Cuz I lost some friends,” she said. 

“I had three sets of little eyes looking up, saying, ‘Where are we going to play next year?’ And we said we would figure it out,” said Barnes. 

Not playing ball was simply not an option. 

And that meant getting a little help from some major league friends.

“We came over to see what we could do to help and it became immediately evident that the fields were wiped out. Looking up over the hill there was really nothing left here. So, right then, I decided whatever we got to do to figure this out and get it done,” said Jim Crane, the owner of the Houston Astros.

The Astros joined forces with the Texas Rangers, Communities Foundation of Texas and others to pitch in nearly $3 million to rebuild the fields so these kids didn’t miss a single pitch.

“This joy you feel today has been this pent-up joy this community has had for so long,” said Austin Dickson, the CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country. 

That joy was bursting at the seams; the kids couldn’t wait for the ceremonial ribbons to be cut. They just wanted to play.

“Cut the ribbon, cut the ribbon, cut the ribbon,” the kids screamed.

“Because of the people of what we had during the flood, I knew, I didn’t expect this, but I knew something would happen,” said Barnes.

And with every pitch thrown and ball hit, these kids are getting something back that was ripped away from them.

“If we can get a hot dog to a little kid, I mean, what else do you need besides baseball and hot dogs, right?” said Barnes. 

A chance to just be kids and play a little ball.