The recruiting circus in college football means that sometimes people might pay too close attention to teenagers’ decisions. As far as their football futures, diehard fans constantly find themselves on pins and needles, hoping they choose their favorite team.
This madness appears to be something that four-star OT recruit Payton Kirkland might have played into. As one of the country’s top high school recruits, the incoming senior at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando knew he was pretty popular.
So, just days before Kirkland made his verbal commitment to a program official, he posted the famous perplexed Russell Westbrook meme in reference to him potentially going to Texas:
Now why would I go to TEXASSSS? pic.twitter.com/aope2alajx
— Payton ”PKAY“ Kirkland (@paytonkirk55) July 20, 2022
Wait, why might Kirkland emphasize the second syllable of the word Texas? Ah, OK. Message received. He wouldn’t wear the burnt orange for the Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian. Life goes on. Right?
Wrong.
On Saturday, Kirkland reversed course and confirmed he would be joining the Longhorns as one of the cornerstones of their 2023 recruiting class:
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Payton Kirkland has Committed to Texas!
The 6’7 345 OT from Orlando, FL chose the Longhorns over Oklahoma, Miami, Florida, Alabama, and Michigan State.
More Here (FREE): https://t.co/kGEygeQk51 pic.twitter.com/JSXTe3nYBa
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 23, 2022
Wait, isn’t there another major recruit who will play at Texas in 2023? It’s on the tip of my tongue. Oh, right: Arch Manning!
Now, this makes some sense. While there’s no way to confirm Kirkland’s initial public tweet was part of a grand scheme to mess with everyone’s heads, it made for an even bigger surprise.
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