December is for Decisions | Team, Staff, Draft (Sunday 2:50 p.m.)
By CJ Vogel
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The stage is set for the Texas postseason – Michigan awaits in the Citrus Bowl on December 31st.
For the next 24 days, there will be plenty to watch and keep track of.
Portal decisions will be, NFL opt outs will be announced and coaching turnover are all on the line ahead of the trip to Orlando at the end of the month.
Of those NFL decisions that will be made is the future of S Jelani McDonald. A source indicated to me that there is a belief that McDonald could return to Texas for his senior season should the NIL number be competitive. McDonald and his camp are evaluating both options at the moment as you would expect.
There is also a belief that a strong senior season could land McDonald firmly within the top 50 picks or so in the 2027 Draft should he comeback to Austin.
Additionally, there is no leaning one way or the other regarding Quintrevion Wisner at the moment. That decision will linger a bit.
Other decisions to keep an eye on include: Hero Kanu, Connor Robertson and Jack Endries. For now, I lean towards Endries heading off to the NFL, but we will see.
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On the coaching front, there will be turnover.
Where and when, that I don't know. An additional positional coach to monitor is that of Chris Jackson.
A couple of sources have indicated it is no slam dunk WR coach Chris Jackson returns in 2026. Jackson's contract is up at the end of the season. Right now, that is one worth monitoring.