Texas
Texas Receiver Silas Bolden ‘Balling Out’ Both On & Off Field in Fall Camp
Standing at just five feet, eight inches, and having 25 wide receivers ranked ahead of him in the 2024 transfer portal, it’s easy to overlook Silas Bolden. Literally.
The Oregon State transfer was one that could’ve felt like overkill for the Longhorn receiving core in 2024. With two higher-rated transfers, three notable sophomore returners, and a five-star freshman, the fifth-year pass-catcher felt a bit out of place in the group.
But, like clockwork in fall camp, an unexpected veteran has emerged for Texas, and people are talking about him. In 2023, reporters were feeding the Austin area tidbits of a 360-pound mammoth in the trenches looking to replace NFL-gone DT Keondre Coburn. Six months later, T’Vondre Sweat was an All-American and the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Though depth charts are far from confirmed, Bolden seems to have earned the graces of head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Quinn Ewers, likely earning a starting spot in Week 1.
“When he first got here, I could just tell how much he cared about the game of football and how much he really wants to succeed,” Ewers said about Bolden. “He’s been balling out. It’s cool to see a guy like him do the things that he does.”
Bolden’s short stature is an anomaly for a receiver at this level of play. In the last three years in the NFL, just two players have recorded over 600 receiving yards in a single year while being shorter than 5’9, and neither eclipsed the 700-yard mark. Despite this, Bolden carved out a strong year for himself in 2023, still corralling 54 catches for 746 yards, 14th in the Pac-12 despite OSU throwing the second-fewest passes per game in the conference.
Bolden profiles most similar to Keilan Robinson from the 2023 team with Robinson’s shorter stature and incredible burst. Bolden will likely see more snaps and will play much more out wide, but Sarkisian will likely include him in similar plays that Robinson saw. Bolden is great at getting deep downfield, but will also be a weapon in the screen, drag, and even out of the backfield. (Watch his highlights against Utah if you aren’t convinced)
“He makes strong catches. He’s a heck of a ballplayer, and he may be little, but he has some heart,” veteran cornerback Jahdae Barron said. “He has a lot of heart to him (and) I love (Bolden) in routes.”
If there’s anyone who has had to endure the speed and quickness of Bolden, it’s Barron. Barron’s primary position as a nickel cornerback means he plays most of practice guarding slot receivers, which Bolden is expected to work out of in the fall.
Despite a loaded receiving group, Bolden adds something that few other players possess. Leadership and experience. The entire receiving core is either a junior, sophomore, or freshman, and Bolden is the only player to have spent more than three years in college football already. Though it took later in his career to see meaningful snaps, Bolden has embodied the culture and mentality that Sarkisian has brought to Texas: and plans to win with.
Later in the same media availability, Ewers described Bolden’s leadership and energy on display. Working in the ‘Red Zone Lockout’ drill, where the offense competes against the defense to score from inside the red zone, Bolden’s offense took the win in the drill, but not at the hands of the short route-runner. Juan Davis, a fourth-year tight end who looks to be primarily a backup in 2024, caught the game-winner, and the most prominent man in celebration was Bolden.
“Silas (Bolden) ran over to him, he’s like jumping on (Davis) and firing him up,” Ewers said about the drill. “You love to see things like that. Silas didn’t get the ball, he didn’t need to go over there and celebrate with Juan. But, you know, he does that. It’s those types of things that really fire you up.”
Bolden seems to have already assimilated himself into the culture and dynamic that this 2024 Longhorns team looks to play with, and getting in good graces with your quarterback means you’ll be seeing the field. Despite him being the shortest player on the field, expect Bolden to make immediate and noticeable impacts both as a teammate and as a pass catcher in this explosive Longhorn offense.
The Oregon Ducks are finalists for elite five-star recruit Michael Terry III. The class of 2025 athlete is the nation’s No. 1 “Athlete” and No. 7 overall prospect in Texas.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound prospect from San Antonio (Texas) Alamo Heights has narrowed his list of schools to Oregon, the Texas Longhorns, Nebraska Cornhuskers and Texas A&M Aggies. However, Oregon, Texas and Nebraska are emerging as frontrunners to land the coveted recruit, according to 247Sports.
Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein and running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples are the primary recruiters of Terry III. The critical time in his recruitment, Terry III has yet to announce a commitment date as he starts his senior season at the end of August.
Terry III visited Eugene for Oregon football’s “Saturday Night Live” recruiting event, a massive success for the Ducks staff. Nearly 100 recruits for the 2025, 2026, and 2027 participated in drills coached by the Oregon Football staff in Autzen Stadium in late July.
“I love Oregon,” Terry told On3. “Just as much as I love Texas. I’ve built relationships with both coaching staffs. Both are on the path of greatness… How Coach Stein and Coach Lanning calls more advanced plays If you watch their plays they can make a basic play look like a play you never seen.”
Terry III met with former Oregon star athlete, De’Anthony Thomas while in Eugene. The electric Thomas played a role for the Ducks that could be similar to Terry III – both at running back and wide receiver. Scouting reports on Terry III’s skillset show he could evolve into a tight end at the next level in the NFL.
Directly after his visit to Eugene, Terry III traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to visit the Cornhuskers and head coach Matt Rhule. The Texas-native has also visited Austin and the Longhorns multiple times this summer.
Texas is the leader to land Terry III, based on commitment predictions from 247Sports and On3. However, both Oregon and Nebraska have pushed to remain in the mix.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s 2025 recruiting class currently ranks No. 9 nationally on 247Sports rankings. Terry III would be Oregon’s fourth five-star recruit in the class: joining Duncanville (Texas) wide receiver Dakorien Moore, Mater Dei (California) running back Jordon Davison and Shaker Heights (Ohio) safety Trey McNutt.
Joining the Big Ten makes it easier for coach Lanning to connect with recruits who are father away from Oregon, geographically.
“It also gives us an opportunity,” Coach Lanning said. “We’ve always been a team that has recruited nationally but it has certainly made our footprint stronger here in the Midwest. Where that is states in the area that we had not tapped into as much. It gives us the opportunity to recruit those kids.”
“We’ve always recruited east coast to west coast but now to have the opportunity to have some of those games played in venues that are close to players that we are recruiting certainly helps,” coach Lanning said.
The Ducks have been successful in their recruiting efforts in Texas, recently. Coach Lanning’s strong connection to Texas is partly thanks to rising-star recruiter Samples.
Samples was the primary recruiter for the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver Dakorien Moore committed to the Ducks over his hometown state’s Texas Longhorns, LSU Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes.
Samples had a unique connection with Moore – Samples’ father is Moore’s high school head coach at Duncanville (TX). The Oregon coach expects to win recruiting battles in the lonestar state.
“I mean, it feels normal. I think that’s what Dan expects of me,” Samples said after Oregon practice last week. “That’s what I expect of myself, so I mean, it’s part of the job. That’s what I came here to do to be able to sign some of these guys, – bring a different landscape, bringing in guys from Texas, and winning recruiting battles. It’s a part of the job at this level and it’s an expectation for me, it’s the standard for me, it’s the standard that Dan expects from me, it’s why he brought me here.”
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HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Two young children who were ejected during a major crash along the I-10 East Freeway remain hospitalized, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sunday, the children, ages 1 and 4, were traveling inside a Jeep driven by their father when it collided with another vehicle. The impact flipped the Jeep and sent them flying.
Video of the aftermath shows the two children, wearing only diapers, sitting in the middle of the freeway, and their father and another man running to them.
It all happened while Victor Cordova was driving home. At first, he feared the worst.
“I thought they actually passed away. I thought they were dead,” he told KTRK-TV in Houston.
He was relieved when he saw the children stirring. Incredibly, they were not hit by other vehicles.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation is not complete, but their 25-year-old father could face criminal charges for not restraining his children. That is why Cordova, a father himself, wanted other parents to see the video he recorded.
“For parents, for everybody, even if it’s a short distance, (you need) awareness. To make sure you secure your kids properly,” Cordova said.
For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.
The alarm bells are ringing. The MLB world has noticed. And it isn’t pretty.
The Texas Rangers are among the worst clubs in baseball. Yes, the defending World Series champions are dwelling in the proverbial cellar.
The latest Power Rankings from MLB.com place the Rangers at No. 22 among the 30 teams. That’s the lowest point for Texas this season.
When the Rangers won the World Series last year, it didn’t seem like some sort of out-of-nowhere thing: They had a ton of young talent, spent smartly to improve the roster and seemed to have a solid foundation. But now that they’re eight games under .500, it should be noted that, if they can’t get over .500 by season’s end, they’ll have notched only one winning season since 2016: last year, when they won that World Series.
– MLB.com
The championship is seemingly more of an anomaly than the Rangers turning the corner to be considered among the top franchises in baseball. Is the Texas title a fluke?
There is still plenty of time to turn it around and make a run at the division title, which is the best bet for the Rangers to reach the playoffs. The Wild Card route appears out of reach.
The two teams the Rangers are trying to catch in the American League West are considerably higher on the list. The streaking Houston Astros – once left for dead early this season – are ranked No. 11. The Seattle Mariners check in at No. 12.
As for the rest of the AL West, the Oakland Athletics fall in at No. 26 and Los Angeles Angels are No. 27.
Catch up with Texas Rangers on SI on Facebook and X.
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