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Texas is back? Under Steve Sarkisian, Longhorns’ NFL draft stock is hotter than ever

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Texas is back? Under Steve Sarkisian, Longhorns’ NFL draft stock is hotter than ever


Texas coach Steve Sarkisian tells his players to act like a thermostat. Set the tone in games, practices and the classroom. Never let up. It’s been his mantra since he became head coach in 2021.

If the upcoming NFL draft is any indication, Texas is hot.

The Longhorns sent a school-record 11 players to the NFL Scouting Combine and have a chance for three players to be selected in the first round of the draft.

The last time Texas had multiple players picked in the first round was 2007. Last year, NFL teams drafted five players from Sarkisian’s program, including running back Bijan Robinson in the first round. The Cowboys drafted linebacker DeMarvion Overshown in the third round, marking the first time the Cowboys have drafted a player from Texas since 2018 (Connor Williams, second round). Before Robinson, defensive tackle Malcom Brown was the last Texas player picked in the first round in 2015.

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Texas is a Power 5 school, leaving the Big 12 for the football powerhouse that’s the SEC for the 2024 season. A look at previous drafts wouldn’t lead you to believe that. In 2022, no player from Texas was drafted. Last year, things changed and the hard work of Sarkisian and his staff is showing up.

“We always had talent it just getting to that upper notch,” cornerback Ryan Watts said. “It all started with the leadership program when I got there. It was player-led and I don’t think they had that before. I think that was big reason for the change.”

Potential Dallas Cowboys targets for each round of the NFL draft

Of the 11 players sent to Indianapolis, defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and receiver Xavier Worthy have strong chances to go in the first round. Murphy, a DeSoto product, is projected as a top-15 pick. Worthy morphed into a first-round projection when he produced a 4.21 40, the fastest time ever at the combine. Receiver Adonai Mitchell, and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders could go in the first round but project more as Day 2 selections. Defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat is another possible second- or third-round pick. His stock might drop because of his recent arrest on a DWI charge.

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Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II (90) celebrates his touchdown against Washington during the first half of the Sugar Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)(Butch Dill / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

“People are recognizing the development side of what’s here,” Sarkisian said on the All Facts No Breaks podcast hosted by former Cowboys receiver Keyshawn Johnson.

“Like I said, our culture is what helped us get here,” Sanders said. “If you look at our year one, we went from 5-7 to making it to the college football playoff, putting Texas back on the map. It’s a great thing. Just playing for one another, going out there, dominating, having fun with our brothers, playing for one another.”

And Texas players act like they belong on this big stage. During the combine, Worthy talked about running the fastest 40 time and establishing himself as one of the top receivers in this draft.

“An explosive player,” he said when asked to describe himself. “Natural route runner and toughness. I feel like I play with a chip on my shoulder.”

Worthy joked about challenging Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, considered one of the fastest players in the NFL.

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“That would be somebody that I definitely [think would] kinda challenge me,” he said, smiling. “A big challenge.”

Murphy might become the first interior lineman taken off draft boards this spring.

“Just putting in the work,” he said. “Just working hard each and every day. And also, I feel like my tape speaks for itself — I feel like I put a lot on tape this year. … I feel like I showed a lot of NFL teams what I could do, what they can get from me.”

Running back Jonathon Brooks also is among the top players from Texas. He’s recovering from a torn ACL and rushed for 1,139 yards last season. Brooks could be a Day 2 pick. Sanders, with seven touchdown receptions the last two seasons, set a school record with 99 catches at his position. Murphy was a first-team All-Big 12 pick and the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the year. Sweat was the Outland Trophy winner and first-team All-American and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Texas players have the resume to back up boasts that they can contribute in the NFL. Sweat joked at the combine he’d run a 4.4 or 4.51 40. He came in at 5.27. His weight, always a concern, was dismissed. He said he can play at 365 pounds.

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To say Texas is back could be an understatement.

It’s hot.

“Big shout-out to Coach Sark,” Sweat said. “What happened is that we all just believed and trust. That’s what got us to this situation, just believing and trusting the head coach.”

Calvin Watkins’ 2024 NFL mock draft 2.0: QB-heavy top 3; Cowboys add versatility on OL

Find more Texas Longhorns coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.



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North Texas middle school closes after a norovirus outbreak

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North Texas middle school closes after a norovirus outbreak


A middle school in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD is closed Friday after an outbreak of norovirus.

According to the school district, they closed Creekview Middle School in Fort Worth on Friday to sanitize and clean the building. The district said they plan on reopening the school on Monday.

The district said children started to get sick on Tuesday with what appeared to be a stomach virus and that on Wednesday it spread to a larger group.

EMSISD said they reached out to the Tarrant County Public Health Department and that they recommended disinfecting and cleaning the school on Wednesday night and reopening the next day.

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More cases continued to be reported on Thursday, so the public health department then recommended that they clean again and close the campus on Friday.

Parents were notified of the district’s decision on Thursday afternoon.

The district has not said how many students and staff were sickened in the outbreak.

Officials with Children’s Medical Center said that because norovirus is highly contagious and resistant to many common hand sanitizers, it presents a unique challenge for families.

The hospital says hand sanitizer isn’t enough and recommends thorough hand washing with soap and water. They also recommend parents keep their children home for a full 48 hours after symptoms stop to prevent further outbreaks.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are approximately 2,500 norovirus outbreaks in the United States each year and that they are most common from November through April. For further tips on preventing the spread of norovirus, visit the CDC.



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Trump heads to Texas, where 3 friends are battling it out in the Senate Republican primary

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Trump heads to Texas, where 3 friends are battling it out in the Senate Republican primary


WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump just can’t seem to choose among friends in the Texas Senate Republican primary.

So when he travels to the state on Friday for his first post- State of the Union trip, where he plans to promote his energy and economic policies, Trump will have all three candidates in the competitive race join him — just days before his party casts ballots in the primary race.

Sen. John Cornyn is battling for his fifth term and is being challenged by state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Wesley Hunt in a primary fight that has become viciously personal. And all three men, missing the coveted endorsement from Trump, have been trying to highlight their ties to him as they ramp up their campaigning ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

For his part, Trump will be seeking to ride the message of his State of the Union address from Tuesday, where he declared a return to economic prosperity and a more secure America — two centerpiece arguments for Republicans as they campaign to keep their congressional majorities this fall.

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Trump’s hesitation to endorse in the Texas Senate primary speaks to the tricky dynamics of the race.

Cornyn is unpopular with a segment of Texas’ GOP base, in part for his early dismissiveness of Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign and for his role in authoring tougher restrictions on guns after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. But Senate GOP leadership and allied groups see Cornyn as the stronger general election candidate, in light of a series of troubles that have shadowed Paxton.

Paxton beat impeachment on fraud charges in 2023, and has faced allegations of marital infidelity by his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, right, is joined by former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, left, during a campaign stop in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. Credit: AP/Eric Gay

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have urged Trump to endorse Cornyn. They and allied campaign groups argue that the seat would cost the party hundreds of millions more to defend with Paxton as the candidate.

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“It is a strong possibility we cannot hold Texas if John Cornyn is not our nominee,” Scott told Fox News on Wednesday.

Hunt, a second-term Houston-area representative, was a later entry to the race, but claims a kinship with Trump, having endorsed him early in the 2024 race. Hunt campaigned regularly for Trump and earned a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

If no candidate reaches 50% in Tuesday’s primary, the top two finishers will advance to a May 26 runoff.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas,...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, arrive before President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. Credit: AP/Allison Robbert

Cornyn’s campaign and a half-dozen allied groups have poured more than $63 million into the race since last fall, chiefly trying to slow Paxton but recently attacking Hunt in an effort to keep him from making it to the runoff.

Earlier this month, Trump feinted toward weighing in on the race when he said he was taking “a serious look” at endorsing in the Texas primary. He has since reaffirmed his neutrality.

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Still, you wouldn’t know it from watching TV in Texas. Cornyn has been airing ads since last year touting his support for Trump’s agenda, even though his relationship with the president has been cool at times. Paxton and Hunt both have ads airing now featuring them standing with Trump.

“I like all three of them, actually. Those are the toughest races. They’ve all supported me. They’re all good. You’re supposed to pick one, so we’ll see what happens. But I support all three,” Trump said earlier this month.

The GOP battle comes as Democrats have a contested primary of their own in Texas between state Rep. James Talarico, a self-described policy wonk who regularly quotes the Bible, and progressive favorite U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

Trump hasn’t been shy about wading into other contested Republican primaries in the state. Parts of Corpus Christi fall within Texas’ 34th congressional district, where former Rep. Mayra Flores is fighting to reclaim her seat against the Trump-endorsed Eric Flores. (The two are not related.) The winner of the primary will face off against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, long a target of the GOP, whose district was redrawn to make it easier for a Republican to win.

Eric Flores will be at the Trump event at the Port of Corpus Christi, which technically is located in a neighboring district.

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Elsewhere in the state, the president has also endorsed Rep. Tony Gonzales, who is fighting calls from his own party to resign from Congress after reports of an alleged affair with a former staffer who later died after she set herself on fire. Gonzales is refusing to step down and has said that there will be “opportunities for all of the details and facts to come out” and that the stories about the situation do not represent “all the facts.”

Gonzales is facing a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and gun rights influencer who Gonzales defeated by fewer than 400 votes in their 2024 runoff. The White House did not return a request for comment on Thursday on whether Trump stands by his endorsement of Gonzales.



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Man sentenced to 15 years in Texas crash that killed founding member of The Chicks

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Man sentenced to 15 years in Texas crash that killed founding member of The Chicks


EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting his reckless driving caused a head-on collision in rural West Texas that killed Laura Lynch, a founding member of the country music group now known as The Chicks, prosecutors said.

Domenick Chavez, 33, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with Dec. 22, 2023, crash in Hudspeth County, according to a news release Tuesday from El Paso County District James Montoya, who also oversees nearby Hudspeth County.

The news release said Chavez was driving a truck westbound when he tried to pass four vehicles on a two-way undivided highway and collided head-on with Lynch’s eastbound truck. Lynch, 65, of Dell City, was trapped in her vehicle and died. Prosecutors said Chavez was traveling between 106 mph and 114 mph.

Prosecutors said alcohol wasn’t a factor in the crash but that Chavez was driving on a suspended license, which had been revoked due to his failure to comply with DWI-related surcharges and penalties from convictions in 2014 and 2017.

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Lynch, along with Robin Lynn Macy and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, formed The Dixie Chicks in the late 1980s. Lynch and Macy eventually left the band and Natalie Maines joined the sisters. The trio hit commercial fame with their breakthrough album “Wide Open Spaces” in 1998 and have won 13 Grammys. In 2020, the band changed its name to The Chicks.

In a social media post after Lynch’s death, The Chicks said Lynch had “infectious energy and humor” and was “instrumental” in the band’s early success.



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