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What would AI have done in the most pivotal moments in Texas football history?

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook05/06/26josephcook89

Former LSU head coach Brian Kelly recently sat down with USA Today and explained that he’s using AI in order to help him prepare for his next role.

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“Claude, as you know, is probably a little bit better in predicting some of the things outside the lines, whereas ChatGPT is much more driven right down the center. But there’s some interesting things that I’ve laid down relative to recruiting, profiling, transfer portal, there’s a lot of work you can do,” Kelly said. “And I think it’s going to have to be part of the next iteration in coaching. You’re going to have to utilize those tools. Now, look, it’s not going to take over everything. Balls and strikes are here to stay in Major League Baseball. But it’s not taking over the game, I think it’s enhancing it. And I think AI, used the right way, and understanding how to use it, can enhance the experience for everybody.”

Kelly might not be using AI to call plays… but what would Claude have suggested for coaches like Darrell Royal, Mack Brown, and Steve Sarkisian when they were staring down several of the most pivotal moments in Texas Longhorns football history?

I am a football coach. It is 4th and 3 from my own 43 yard line and I am trailing 14-8 with just under 5 minutes left in the game. I run the Wishbone offense and my quarterback is a fantastic athlete but not the best passer. I typically run in these situations, but I have one quality wide receiver and a good tight end, and both can make a play downfield. If I lose, it will be to one of my biggest rivals and they will be declared champions. What should I do?

Claude: This is a classic high-leverage decision with real tension between risk and reward.

You’re down 6 with about 5 minutes left, meaning a touchdown and a 2-point conversion wins the game outright. You’re sitting at your own 43 — no man’s land — running a Wishbone offense with an athletic but run-first quarterback, one quality wide receiver, and a reliable tight end.

Should you go for it or punt? The case for punting rests on trusting your defense to get a stop and flip field position, giving you the ball back with a chance to drive. But here’s the problem with that logic: even if it works perfectly, you still need a stop AND a scoring drive. That’s two things that have to go right. Going for it on 4th and 3 consolidates the risk into one moment and keeps the game in your hands.

The case for going for it is strong. Three yards is very makeable in the Wishbone, especially with an athletic quarterback who can threaten with his legs. This is your bread and butter offense. And consider the field position math — if you punt and they get a touchback, they have the ball at their 20. If you go for it and fail, they get it at your 43. That’s only a 23-yard difference, and when you’re down 6 in the final minutes, that’s not a game-changing gap. You need to score either way.

Not sure about those details, Claude. But anyway.

My recommendation is to go for it, and to be thoughtful about the play call. Your run-heavy Wishbone tendency is actually an asset here, because everyone in that stadium expects you to hand it off or run the option. A play-action pass to your tight end — either in the flat or on a crossing route — could catch the defense completely off guard on the most important down of the game. You could also lean on a QB option to the boundary, a fullback dive off-tackle, or simply a QB sneak if your line is physical enough. The sneak, in particular, is statistically one of the highest-percentage short-yardage plays in football.

The bottom line is this: punting means hoping for two good things to happen in sequence. Going for it means trusting your athletes in exactly the kind of situation your offense was built for. Take control of your own fate, get the first down, and go win the championship.

Who needs computers when Darrell Royal thought of that one all by himself?

I am a football coach. It is 4th and 5 in a championship game. I am down 38-33 with 19 seconds left. I am on the opponent’s 8-yard line. I need to score to win or else my best season in decades will be squandered. I have a great wide receiver who can catch high passes, a great tight end, and a running back who isn’t going to get all 5 yards on the ground but who can catch out of the backfield. I have one timeout left. My quarterback is the best QB in program history. He is 6-foot-5, 230, and can run a 4.6 40. He is having the game of his life and he needs to be the one making the play. The opposing defense is one of the best in the country, and has one of the best group of linebackers collected in the entire decade plus NFL players at DT and DB. What should I do?

Claude: This is the moment every coach dreams of and dreads — one play, eight yards, a championship on the line.

Your greatest advantage in this moment is your quarterback himself. A 6-foot-5, 230-pound athlete who runs a 4.6 forty is a matchup nightmare, and tonight he is playing the best football of his life. The game belongs in his hands.

The play call should be a designed rollout or boot action, giving him the freedom to run or throw based on what the defense presents. Your wide receiver attacks the back corner of the end zone high, where only he or your 6-foot-5 quarterback can truly win that ball. Your tight end works a crossing route or finds a void in the zone. Your running back leaks out of the backfield as a flat or checkdown option. The quarterback rolls, reads, and either delivers the ball or turns those 4.6 wheels toward the pylon himself. Eight yards is entirely within reach for an athlete like him on a rollout with a running start.

This concept works because it forces that elite linebacker corps to make an impossible choice — honor the receivers or contain the quarterback. They cannot do both. And unlike a pure scramble, you still have three weapons to punish whatever the defense takes away.

The one critical instruction to your quarterback is simple: if nothing is there and the corner isn’t clean, throw it away and use the timeout. Do not take a sack. Live to play one more snap.

What part of 4th down didn’t you understand, Claude?

But trust him. Trust the preparation that brought you to this moment. Roll him out, let your playmakers attack the end zone, and put the outcome exactly where it belongs — in the hands of the best quarterback your program has ever seen.

Greg Davis and Mack Brown were as plugged in as Claude on this one.

I am a football coach. My team is in overtime using college football rules from 2024. The opposing team scored first in overtime and successfully kicked the PAT. I am facing 4th and 13 from the 28 yard line. If I don’t convert, my season is over. I have a quarterback with a hampered ankle but who is tough. I have a great receiving tight end who isn’t faster than linebackers or safeties. My main wide receiver is a first round talent and stands at 5-foot-11 and runs a 4.29 40. I run a modern spread offense with pro concepts. What should I do?

Claude: This is a gut-check moment, but your personnel give you a real chance to convert it.

Thirteen yards is a significant ask, but your wide receiver is your answer. A 4.29 forty at 5-foot-11 is elite speed by any measure, and on a play where the defense knows you have to throw, you need someone who can win at the top of his route against press or off coverage. The tight end’s role here is to work underneath or across the middle, not as the primary target but as a way to manipulate the underneath defenders and create space for your receiver to work at the sticks and beyond.

The route concept should stress the defense vertically and horizontally at the same time. Consider a combination where your receiver runs a deep comeback, a post-corner, or a go-route with a late break depending on how the corner plays him. If the corner is in press, a release to the outside with a hard inside fake can create separation at exactly the 13-yard range you need. If he is playing off, your receiver can close that cushion with his speed and make the catch at the marker with room to spare.

Your quarterback’s ankle is a concern, but in a pure drop-back situation from the shotgun, he should be able to manage it. You are not asking him to run — you are asking him to step up, deliver an accurate ball on time, and trust his receiver to win one-on-one. That is a manageable ask even at less than full health.

The bottom line is this: get your best player matched up one-on-one, give him a route that attacks the coverage, and let his extraordinary athleticism make the play. Sometimes in football it really is that simple. Let him go win it.

Turns out, once again Texas’ head coach thought similarly. Who needs million dollar coordinators when you have the machines?

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