Sunday Money is GENERATIONAL | Drew Fabianich on Texas' Talent, Potential Draft Picks & More!

Summary

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On Texas Football

Episode: Sunday Money is GENERATIONAL | Drew Fabianich on Texas' Talent, Potential Draft Picks & More!
Date: July 27, 2026
Host: Bobby Burton
Guest: Drew Fabianich, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl

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Episode Overview

In this episode of On Texas Football, Bobby Burton sits down with Drew Fabianich, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, for a deep-dive into the current state of Texas Longhorns football. The discussion centers on top Texas players, their pro potential, and the broader landscape of NIL “Saturday money” versus NFL “Sunday money.” Fabianich shares insights from the Manning Passing Academy, evaluates Longhorn draft hopefuls, and offers candid takes on generational talent and what fans can expect from Texas in 2026.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Manning Passing Academy Impressions

Timestamps: [01:30] – [03:28]

• Drew Fabianich attended the Manning Passing Academy, observing “43 quarterbacks” and connecting with “maybe like 20.”
• He was impressed by how Arch Manning has physically developed:

  “Arch did a really good job. You can see the body change, body composition’s changed. He’s gotten bigger.” (Drew Fabianich, [01:49])

• Highlighted promising underclassmen:
  • Taylor (Mississippi State): “Looks the part... got a cannon.”
  • CJ Carr
  • Middle Tennessee State’s Gagliano (from Auburn)
  • Washington (Maryland, freshman starter)
• Appreciates the Pro Day-like throwing sessions for evaluating QBs’ entire skill set, not just highlight throws.

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2. Senior Bowl & Texas Draft Talent

Timestamps: [03:28] – [04:51]

• Reminder: The Senior Bowl now includes juniors, not just seniors.
• Drew’s “pet cat” from Texas last year: Jelani McDonald (free safety), who is “one of [his] favorites.”

  “There’s a pet cat that plays free safety... he was one of our favorites last year.” (Drew Fabianich, [03:53])

• Texas is “loaded” at multiple positions, especially receiver and with young talent that could either enter the draft early or stay to develop.

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3. NIL Money vs. NFL Money

Timestamps: [04:51] – [05:38]

• Discussed the financial calculus players face now that NIL (“Saturday money”) is viable versus the earning power of an NFL career (“Sunday money”):

  “Saturday money is... a lot different than Sunday money. Sunday money is generational money. Saturday money's... a good nest egg… still so insignificant compared to what the NFL money is.” (Drew Fabianich, [05:01])

• Example: Caleb Banks moving from 3rd to 1st-round pick led to "$13.3 million of difference," a stark demonstration of why NFL prospects still covet “Sunday money.”

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4. Individual Texas Prospects: Evaluation & Pro Potential

Colin Simmons – Edge/DE

Timestamps: [06:11] – [07:11]

• “Not just a pass rusher, he's a good run defender… he’ll be a three-down guy… all the traits: length, size, strength… twitchy… good with his hands, got a nice feel for counters.”
• Asked for a player comparison, but Drew says he hasn’t settled on one yet:

  “I hadn’t really got one for him yet… When I throw comparisons around, it’s more like body type, playstyle.” (Drew Fabianich, [07:11])

Trevor Goosby – Left Tackle

Timestamps: [07:34] – [08:43]

• Called a “real left tackle,” rare even among college starters:

  “He’s a real life back. …A lot of guys that are playing there sometimes are not athletic enough to play left tackle in the NFL, end up playing right tackle or sometimes even guard.” (Drew Fabianich, [07:46])

• Points to his size, length, and crucial “good foot speed.”

Cam Coleman & Ryan Wingo – Wide Receivers

Timestamps: [08:43] – [10:10]

• Drew’s “type” is big receivers and big corners:

  “You'll find out. I love big receivers. I love big corners. …That’s just the way the league's built.” (Drew Fabianich, [08:57])

• Both Cam and Wingo are praised for contested catches and size:
  • Wingo: “a touch faster… better in and out and separates a little bit better.”
  • Coleman: “stronger… uses his body well… quarterback friendly” like Keyshawn Johnson.
• Emphasizes value of “quarterback friendly” receivers—guys who win contested catches even when covered.

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5. Expectations for Texas in 2026

Timestamps: [11:49] – [12:36]

• Drew stakes a bold early season prediction:

  “My pick was Notre Dame and Texas this year... both absolutely loaded... Texas guys come out early, they could have close to 10 or 11 [draft picks], too... The expectation should be they should get in the playoffs, and then let’s just see what happens after that.” (Drew Fabianich, [11:52])

• Notes Texas’ impressive depth, important for playoff runs where health is critical.
• Both Texas and Notre Dame have “a lot of draft picks running around the field.”

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6. The Senior Bowl: Importance & Impact

Timestamps: [12:47] – [13:34]

• Drew gives a passionate, practical pitch for attending:

  “It amazes me that people don’t fly down, come to free practices… Where can you go to watch more draftable players of one place at one time? …Come down to the Senior Bowl, you’ll see 91 guys getting drafted.” (Drew Fabianich, [12:47], [13:18])

• 97% of Senior Bowl players go to NFL camps—underscoring the event’s quality and exposure.

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7. Gold Jacket Prediction: Caleb Banks

Timestamps: [13:34] – [14:13]

• Asked for a likely Hall-of-Fame-type player from last year’s Senior Bowl, Drew picks Florida DT Caleb Banks:

  “If he stays healthy. Caleb Banks.” (Drew Fabianich, [13:53]) “He could be Chris Jones... if he stays healthy.” (Drew Fabianich, [14:02])

• Notes durability (“foot issues”) is the concern.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NIL vs NFL Earnings:

  “Saturday money is… a good nest egg… but still so insignificant compared to what the NFL money is.” (DF, [05:01])

• On Left Tackles:

  “He’s a real left tackle... Goosby’s got all the sides, all the length, but also really good athletic ability, plus good foot speed.” (DF, [07:46])

• Texas Draft Expectations:

  “They could have close to 10 or 11 [draft picks] too… The expectation should be they should get in the playoffs.” (DF, [11:52])

• On the Senior Bowl’s Value:

  “Where can you go to watch more draftable players in one place at one time?... 91 guys getting drafted.” (DF, [12:47], [13:18])

• Gold Jacket Candidate:

  “If he stays healthy… Caleb Banks… could be Chris Jones.” (DF, [13:53], [14:02])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Manning Passing Academy QBs: [01:30] – [03:28]
• Senior Bowl-ineligible Texas Talent: [03:28] – [04:51]
• Money Discussion (NIL vs NFL): [04:51] – [05:38]
• Colin Simmons Evaluation: [06:11] – [07:11]
• Trevor Goosby on the NFL Tackle Pipeline: [07:34] – [08:43]
• Wide Receivers Analysis: [08:43] – [10:10]
• Expectations for Texas’ 2026 Season & Draft: [11:49] – [12:36]
• Senior Bowl Pitch: [12:47] – [13:34]
• Gold Jacket Player Pick: [13:34] – [14:13]

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Episode Takeaways

• Texas’ 2026 roster is brimming with NFL talent, potentially yielding double-digit draft picks if underclassmen declare.
• NIL (“Saturday money”) has raised the financial baseline for college stars, but NFL “Sunday money” remains truly life-changing—highlighted by examples like Caleb Banks’ draft leap.
• Texas features rare, pro-ready prospects, particularly at left tackle (Goosby), edge rusher (Simmons), and receiver (Wingo, Coleman)—all fitting the modern NFL mold.
• The Senior Bowl remains a crucial showcase for draft hopefuls, drawing nearly the entire NFL scouting community and featuring the top draftable seniors and juniors.
• Drew Fabianich’s gold-jacket watch: Caleb Banks, if healthy, could one day join Chris Jones as an elite NFL defensive tackle.

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For fans and future pros alike, this episode makes clear: Texas is loaded, the stakes are higher than ever, and the eyes of NFL scouts will be all over Austin this fall.

Transcript

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[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Welcome in. We're talking Texas talent with Drew Fabianic, the executive director of the Senior Bowl. Just starting off, you were down at the Manning Passing Academy. Let's start with the top player, Arch Manning and how he performed at Manning Passing Academy. Academy. And maybe some other names that you saw down there that you like.

[Drew Fabianic]

Well, you know, yeah, I got to see 43 quarterbacks, which was great. Got to personally meet maybe like 20 of them. Some of them I met last year. I made this kind of a yearly occurrence because Archie invited me to come down. And I'm going to take advantage of it because I. At least I get to say hello to these guys. At least they know who are who I am now and who they're going to be talking to. You know, if that invite does come, you know, Arch did a really good job. You can see the body change, body compositions changed. He's gotten bigger. I don't know if you saw the post I was making fun of. I said a real quarterback and an old wash one when I was walking with him. But yeah, he. He did. He did some really nice things. You know, the, the Friday Night Lights is kind of a cool thing for the fans to watch and everything else. But I get so much more out of the next day when they go through a whole throwing session like they would at a, like a, like a pro day. I mean, they, they go through the whole passing tree, you know, and it was, it was good. There are a lot of young quarterbacks that were there that look really good. I think it's Taylor, the kid from Mississippi State. I mean, you want to talk about looks to part. I mean, got a cannon. CJ Carr did a really good job. I'll tell you the kind of a surprising one was kids from Middle Tennessee State, Gagliano from Auburn, Pie. I don't know how he ended up middle, but he's an underclassman too. Sam is underclassman. The other kid, the Washington kid from Maryland through freshman, started last year, did a really good job, too. Gosh, there was. There was so many of them on, you know, sort of group. But it was nice to see all those guys.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

It's good to get your feedback on the Manny Passing Academy. Really, the reason we brought you in is because you're the executive director of the Senior bowl, which, by the way, doesn't always have just seniors. No, we gotta say that.

[Drew Fabianic]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Because my point being, Longhorns should have a few guys you want to see in that Senior bowl this year. Name a couple of guys that really kind of just jump off the page for you that are Texas.

[Drew Fabianic]

Well, there's, There's. There's a pet cat that plays free safety. I go back to the pet captain. Phil Parcells used to say, when you talk about a player who needed pump the player up, you really like the player. It was your pet cat moved into the house. You got a litter box. Well, the safety was one of my favorites last year.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Okay. Jelani McDonald.

[Drew Fabianic]

Yes, he was one of our favorites last year. So, again, yes, I'd be more than interested. You know, they've got sort of players at every level. You know, Simmons, you know, Arch. I mean, his skill, skill sets. The receivers, I mean, they're loaded, but there's a lot of young guys, too, that, you know, truly don't have to come out and may not come out if they feel like they need to develop more. Because I don't want to push them out, you know, because again, I'm not the. I'm not the guy that should be doing. You know, it should be like, if you're A top five pick. You're. You're a first round guy. Yeah, you should leave, but other than that, you should stay just to develop.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Especially now with nil.

[Drew Fabianic]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Being a real possibility. And the dollar figures you're talking about are not insignificant.

[Drew Fabianic]

No.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

They used to pale in comparison. They don't necessarily do that anymore. No.

[Drew Fabianic]

But I'm going to tell you what though. Saturday money is, is a lot different than Sunday money.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yes.

[Drew Fabianic]

Sunday money is generational money. I mean, Saturday money's, you know, you can walk away from the game and you know, have a good nest egg, you know, to start a real job once you're done with football. But it's still so insignificant compared to what the NFL money is. Your perfect example is like Kayla Banks last year he was rated as a third round guy, you know, before the far game. Yeah. He ends up going in the first round. Right. At 18 on a four year contract. That's $13.3 million of difference just on that.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yeah.

[Drew Fabianic]

I mean, just think going into the next contract so is a factor and it does keep a lot of guys around like Dante Moore. Do you think Dante Moore would have made more money coming out last year? Probably would have, yeah. But he decided to stay and he probably made a pretty darn good chunk of change there too.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yeah, I like that term. The comparison of Saturday money versus Sunday, I'm going to steal that from going forward. Let's talk a little bit about Colin Simmons because he and Cam Coleman along with Arch Manning probably are the top couple of guys. Trevor Goosby, the left tackle.

[Drew Fabianic]

Correct.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Talk to us a little bit about your thoughts on Colin Simmons and his ability as a pass rusher and what you see.

[Drew Fabianic]

Not just a pass rusher, he's a good run defender, which some pass rushers are not very good against the run, which makes him more valuable because he'll be a three down guy instead of just a situational pass rush, you know. And again, he's got all the traits. He's got the length, he's got the size, he's got the strength. He's twitchy for being as big as he is really good with his hands. He got a nice feel for counters. Fluid athlete for his size.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

You have any comparisons for him? Like he's not Micah Parsons, is he?

[Bank of America Narrator]

I mean.

[Drew Fabianic]

No, he's not. No, Michael smaller than him. I mean, okay, Michael's. Micah was a mike linebacker when he was, when he was playing at Penn State, you know, I mean, and again, I don't want to put him in rarefied air. Some of the guys that, you know, I was around with the Cowboys until I get like, footage when I throw comparisons around, it's more like body type, playstyle.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yeah.

[Drew Fabianic]

And, you know, again, I hadn't really got one for him yet, you know, because I threw. I threw one at Sellers. Like last year. I said, Donovan, nab. Everybody was like, well, he's shorter, you know, than. I mean, don't. Shorter. No, I'm talking about the body type. I'm talking about the lower body, the throwing motion, you know, just things like that. That's when I throw comparisons out.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yeah.

[Drew Fabianic]

Sir.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Trevor Goosby, left tackle in Texas. He's a. His dad played for the Cowboys. Like, and then I would also add, he's up in the Metroplex. From Melissa.

[Drew Fabianic]

Yes.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

What are your thoughts on the left tackle for Longhorns?

[Drew Fabianic]

You know, there's not a lot of. There's not a lot of guys in college football that are real left tackles. He's a real life back.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Okay.

[Drew Fabianic]

A lot of guys that are playing there sometimes are not athletic enough to play left tackle in the NFL, end up playing right tackle or sometimes even guard, you know, and sometimes that's a great move just because a body type. I mean, I don't know if you know this, but Zach Martin played left tackle with Notre Dame.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yes, I did.

[Drew Fabianic]

And we never even discussed him playing tackle ever. Because of his armor. And, you know, when people are. People are looking at body types. I mean, like, goofy. I mean, he's got all the traits. He's got all the sides, he's got all the length, but he's also got really good athletic. Athletic ability, plus good foot speed. Because some of those guys are that big, they lack foot speed and they get taken advantage of in the lead because of incredible edge rushers like Michael Parsons or a DeMarcus ware. Those types of guys.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yeah. Cam Coleman, Ryan Wingo, those group of receivers at Texas Group. Your thoughts on any of those guys? Any of them. Like, what do you like about a Camp Thoman or Ryan Wingo?

[Drew Fabianic]

You know, I think both of them. I mean, what I'm gonna like is. You'll find out. I love big receivers. I love big corners.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Okay.

[Drew Fabianic]

And again, that's. That's just the way the league's built. Last year, I think every single. Every single db, other than two guys were all over six foot tall.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Right.

[Drew Fabianic]

I took big receivers, too. Only took two smaller receivers. That's what I like most. I like the contested ball on both of them. I think Wingo may be a touch faster Than Cam. Cam is stronger, but Wingo's a little bit better in and out and separates a little bit better. But Coleman uses his body well, you know, so bigger guys that know how to use their body and are great. Not 50, 50 guys. We used to say quarterback friendly guys. Those help you? Yeah. Keyshawn Johnson was incredibly quarterback friendly because he'd be draped by a DB and Tony would still throw the ball and it would still be completed because he was great on contested catches, you know, and that's what big guys have to do because a lot of times they're covered up because they're not as fast, they're not as twitchy, they're not as great in and out. So, you know, again, both, both I like. I said I like both of them. Really do.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

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[Drew Fabianic]

You're definitely a. I don't know.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Let me see it. Yeah.

[Drew Fabianic]

And put it this way. My pick was Notre Dame and Texas this year.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Okay.

[Drew Fabianic]

You know, and that's because both of them, I think, are absolutely loaded. Notre Dame could have juniors come out. They could have 10 draft picks. Okay. You know, I mean, Texas guys come out early. They could have close to 10 or 11, too, you know, and backups, you know, that are young guys. There's a lot of draft picks running around the field. And I put this way, the expectation should be they should get in the playoffs, and then let's just see what happens after that. You know, hopefully they're healthy enough, because once you get to the playoffs, it's about health and, you know, and sometimes guys get hurt that affect your, you know, affect your chances, hopefully. They're. But they're deep. But they're deep. That's the other. That's the other part, too.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

All right, Drew, I appreciate you very much. Tell people a little bit about the Senior bowl if they're. I think everybody that watches our show is familiar with it, but give your 15 second elevator spiel here.

[Drew Fabianic]

Well, it's not even spiel. It's just. It amazes me that people don't fly down, come to free practices. I mean, the hotel rooms are pretty damn cheap. The. The games. The game tickets are relatively cheap. The parking's, you know, cheap, too. And here's my question to you guys, okay? Where can you go to watch more draftable players of one place at one time?

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Nowhere.

[Drew Fabianic]

Zou. Texas is all 22 of those guys getting drafted.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

No.

[Drew Fabianic]

Michigan, Ohio State, are all those guys.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

No.

[Drew Fabianic]

Come down to the Senior bowl, you'll see 91 guys getting drafted, you know, and 100% got invites, and then 98 of 97% of them are in camps right now. So why wouldn't you do that? To see the best players in the country all together at the same time.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

All right, I'm. Now I'm going to put you on the spot. Yeah, it's great. Great elevator pitch. Now, you just made me think of another question, though. Okay. Of all those guys you had last year at the Senior bowl, which one would you circle and say, possible gold jacket on this guy one day that you had at the Senior bowl last year?

[Drew Fabianic]

Oh, if he stays healthy. Caleb Banks.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Caleb Banks, defense tackle from Florida.

[Drew Fabianic]

He could be. He could be Chris Jones.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Oh, wow.

[Drew Fabianic]

You know, if he stays healthy, that's the problem. He's had some foot issues, and when big men have foot issues, it's hard to fight for.

[Interviewer / Host (Bob)]

Yeah. Drew, thank you so much, my man. Appreciate it. That's been on Texas Footfall with the executive director of the senior role. Drew, they be on it.

[Drew Fabianic]

There you go. Nicely done, Bob.