It’s once again Red River Rivalry time in Dallas, with the Texas Longhorns and the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners entering the Cotton Bowl for their annual showdown.
And as usual, it’s a homecoming for over a dozen former Dallas-area high school football players returning now for either side.
The 2025 Sooners are undefeated thanks in large part to the quarterback play of Little Elm’s John Mateer. However, Mateer’s status is in doubt for Saturday as he is still recovering from hand surgery.
Don’t worry — they have another local kid stepping right in for backup duty.
Sports Roundup
Prior to Saturday’s big matchup, check out 10 former Dallas-area products to keep an eye on at the Red River Rivalry.
OklahomaMichael Hawkins Jr.
Quarterback, Frisco Emerson
Hawkins Jr. will fill in for starter and Heisman candidate John Mateer. Fortunately for the Sooners, Hawkins has been here before.
The sophomore from Frisco Emerson started last year’s Red River matchup after taking over at quarterback midway through the season for starter Jackson Arnold. It didn’t exactly go well — OU fell 34-3 on a day when the offense failed to get anything going — but at least Hawkins won’t be stepping out in front of 92,000 people at the Cotton Bowl without having ever before experienced the intensity of this rivalry.
Lewisville offensive lineman Michael Fasusi (56), center, protects quarterback Ethan Terrell (7) as he blocks the defensive pursuit of Flower Mound linebacker Logan Toth (43) during a first half offensive drive. The two teams played their District 6-6A football game at Max Goldsmith Stadium in Lewisville on September 22, 2023.
Steve Hamm
Michael Fasusi
Offensive tackle, Lewisville
Actually, you might not hear Fasusi’s name all afternoon at the Cotton Bowl. For a left tackle, that’s a good thing.
The consensus 5-star freshman out of Lewisville was the No. 1 offensive lineman recruit in the country last year, and almost immediately stepped right into the Sooners’ starting lineup. He drew his first start against Michigan, a tall task, but he didn’t allow a sack. Fasusi’s injection into OU’s line has been perhaps the main reason it’s stepped up a notch from last season. The Sooners have allowed just four sacks of Mateer in four games. Sooner fans are very high on the young lineman.
Jacob Jordan
Wide receiver, Southlake Carroll
Jordan was once the No. 85-ranked prospect in the Dallas area and starred for Southlake Carroll’s dynamic offense, leading the Dragons with 64 catches for 1,202 yards during the 2022 season. He committed to Oklahoma as a walk-on.
Jordan had 27 receptions for 234 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season in 2024. He’s caught one pass for 27 yards so far in 2025.
Southlake’s Jacob Jordan (7) gets past McKinney’s Christian Ford (13) in route to a first down during the Class 6A Division II Region I semifinal football playoff game at Choctaw Stadium on Friday, November 25, 2022.
John F. Rhodes / Special Contributor
Jaydan Hardy
Defensive back, Lewisville
Another Lewisville product, Hardy was a four-star recruit and a two-way star for the Farmers before committing to Oklahoma.
He’s yet to start a game at the college level but has managed to carve out playing time on special teams and fill-in duty, appearing in 13 games (and picking off a pass) as a freshman and playing in all four games thus far in his sophomore year.
Texas
Texas Longhorns linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (0) lines up against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of a CFP first round playoff game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, December 21, 2024.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
Anthony Hill Jr.
Linebacker, Denton Ryan
Hill was The Dallas Morning News’ top-ranked prospect in the area for the Class of 2023 while at Denton Ryan.
Hill has turned into a force for the Longhorns’ defense, to the tune of a team-high 113 tackles, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception in his sophomore 2024 season. He’s already forced another pair of fumbles in 2025.
The two-time All-American is naturally drawing a heap of interest from the pro ranks. Most 2026 mock drafts have Hill projected as a first-rounder, potentially as a Dallas Cowboys’ target for a team with two first-round picks and likely in need of a pass rusher.
Colin Simmons
Defensive end, Duncanville
Another special defensive talent out of Dallas, Simmons and Hill Jr. make for quite the formidable duo on the Longhorns’ defensive front.
Simmons won the Shaun Alexander Award as the nation’s most outstanding freshman last season after he briefly threatened the Longhorns’ all-time sacks record for a freshman. He finished with nine to lead the team, and has already added 1.5 in his sophomore season. Like Hill, he’s already projecting as a potential first-round pick, though the Duncanville product has another year to wait before becoming draft eligible.
Related
Texas receiver Parker Livingston (13) outruns San Jose State defensive back Jalen Apalit-Williams (7) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)
Michael Thomas / AP
Parker Livingstone
Wide receiver, Lovejoy
Livingstone looks like a potential breakout freshman in the Longhorns’ air attack.
The 6-4 redshirt out of Lovejoy appeared in four games last season without a reception, but has already compiled 13 for 279 yards and three touchdowns through five games thus far. His 128-yard, two-touchdown performance against San Jose State in Week 2 earned him the SEC Freshman of the Week award.
Trevor Goosby
Offensive tackle, Melissa
The Longhorns’ offensive line is loaded with D-FW products, most notable is the 2026 NFL draft prospect Trevor Goosby.
The 6-7, 314-pounder from Melissa was lured away from his TCU commitment by Texas. His offense grade, per Pro Football Focus, is 13th among all tackles in the country at 80.2. He’s one of several Dallas-area big men who seemed to benefit from playing high school basketball, as well.
Texas defensive back Malik Muhammad (5) breaks up a pass intended for Kentucky wide receiver Hardley Gilmore IV (17) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Eric Gay / AP
Malik Muhammad
Cornerback, South Oak Cliff
The South Oak Cliff product will be tasked with shutting down Oklahoma’s top receivers. He’s been a virtual plug-and-play corner since he got to Austin, starting two games his freshman season and then 20 out of 20 since.
Muhammad was a four-star cornerback out of SOC, where he was the fifth-ranked recruit at the position in his class. He’s eligible for the 2026 draft and has been mocked as high as the late first round.
Sachse wide receiver Kaliq Lockett (5) celebrates after picking up a first down during the second half of a District 9-6A high school football game against Wylie East on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Wylie.
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
Kaliq Lockett
Wide receiver, Sachse
Lockett was the No. 2-ranked wide receiver in the Class of 2025 when he committed to the Longhorns. He finished his career at Sachse having posted 2,698 yards receiving and 29 touchdowns.
As an 18-year-old true freshman, he’s still a project for the Longhorns — he’s caught three balls for a total of 12 yards through four games. But the premier athlete, who doubled as a track star with a 100-meter dash of 11.54, is more than capable of breaking loose for a big play on Saturday.
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