Texas 'Flex' Not Impressive to SEC Neighbors

Longhorns come off desperate, not scary, to Arkansas, rest of league

Texas defensive lineman Byron Murphy II celebrates after sacking TCU quarterback Josh Hoover / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Arkansas fans have never needed a reason to find Texas obnoxious, but Razorbacks fans apparently felt they were given good cause over the past week anyway.

It all started with a video posted by a recruit showing a runway of Lamborghinis leading up to the entrance for a Longhorns football recruiting visit.

#texas #hookem #allgasnobreaks #Lamborghini pic.twitter.com/JjrhCyLWuD

— michael Terry lll (@mterry_3) June 8, 2024

It didn't exactly send the message Texas may have thought. Fans from across the SEC joined the Arkansas faithful as they ripped into the Longhorns for the garish display. 

They spoke of how desperate they looked, how Texas did all this just to lose to Oklahoma, and that it conveyed to parents how little respect Texas has for the young men they are recruiting. There's trying to make someone feel you only want to provide them with the best, and then there is an entirely different message.

Showing players they can live in a really nice apartment in the safest part of town, that says "We care to give your son the best." Meeting the chef who is going to prepare meals custom-tailored to a player's specific nutritional needs and tastes says "We care to give your son the best."

Even filling the parking lot with variety of new vehicles that includes trucks, SUVs, sedans and even a more subtle sports car or two allows coaches to say they want players to have reliable transportation to class, practice and back home to Mom and Dad. It says they only want the best for the young man.

However, the Lamborghini runway not only gives the impression Texas coaches not only have an expectation of shallow character from the athletes they are targeting, but that they don't have good judgement when it comes to caring for these young men. 

Hormones, a propensity for bad decisions and a car that begs to be driven recklessly at a high rate of speed is a dangerous cocktail. It also draws a lot of attention, which may be OK if the idea is to make it easier for Austin PD to spot football players and not hold them accountable for their actions should that be the lesson the Longhorns want instilled, but it's a problem in all other aspects of life.

There are more hardcore SEC fans of other programs in the Lone Star State than actual Texas fans based on visual displays. The number of more casual Longhorns fans may be high, it's hard to tell, but flag flying SEC fans who are more willing to act out far exceed those who fervently put their burnt orange on display. 

Making it where people can assume any Lamborghini driver age 18-22 is a Longhorns football player places a huge target on them for harassment and retaliation.

A little while back, Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen had his vehicle set on fire, and that was a much more discreet vehicle in the deepest of Razorback red territory. It is irresponsible to make these players so easily recognizable to literally everyone.

What if one of these East Texas or Louisiana guys is driving home and he stops off to grab a Dilly Bar and go to the bathroom at a Dairy Queen in Tyler. That car is going to generate a lot of talk almost immediately all across town.

The second an officer hears an 18-year-old, regardless of race or nationality, just showed up in a Lamborghini, it's going to draw interest and raise concern with the local police. If Dak Prescott or CeeDee Lamb gets out, that's one thing, but if Michael who was flipping burgers at McDonald's in Gilmer a few months ago gets out, there will be questions. 

If the officer who arrives to check things out happens to be a Texas A&M or LSU fan, the tone and feel of the interaction can still be very scary even if the player can easily prove everything is legitimate. If he can't, then it becomes a nightmare that could have easily been avoided by not placing giant spotlights on the athletes at all times with these cars.

Everyone knows Texas is gonna Texas and that the Longhorns are uneasy about their upcoming journey into the dangerous waters of the SEC. It's to be expected for Texas to want to flex and try to let other schools realize they have arrived and are serious about competing.

However, the fans who said this looked desperate are right. The Longhorns are coming off as disingenuous try-hards with this Lamborghini runway stunt.

It was supposed to put the rest of league on notice, but all it did was make SEC fan bases laugh at Texas. Having money is one thing, but knowing how to properly utilize it to compete is another.

This did nothing to make SEC programs fear Texas, including little old Arkansas. It just made them fear for the danger irresponsible boosters and the coaches who allow it are putting the Longhorns football players in.

HOGS FEED:

• We should have learned by now not to anoint anybody, even with Calipari

• 'Long John" Daly showed his true inner self at Paradise Valley

• Calipari can teach Razorbacks' fans a lesson from tenure at Kentucky

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