After securing a top-five class in the first full cycle under head coach Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns are off to a slow start on the 2023 recruiting trail. It isn’t a big issue for Texas as they have plenty of top-level targets they are gunning for.
Currently, the Big 12 Conference’s top class is the Texas Tech Red Raiders, yes you read that correctly. Both Tech and the Baylor Bears have shot out of cannon on the recruiting trail as they have 10 early pledges apiece.
A quick look at how the teams stand in the 247Sports team rankings:
- Texas Tech, 10 Commits
- Baylor, 10 Commits
- Oklahoma, 4 Commits
- Oklahoma State, 4 Commits
- West Virginia, 3 Commits
- Texas, 1 Commit
- TCU, 1 Commit
- Iowa St, No Commits
- Kansas, No Commits
- Kansas St, No Commits
This will almost certainly change over the course of the next 12 months, but head coaches such as Joey McGuire and Dave Aranda have seen early returns from their work on the trails. McGuire’s haul so far has very few players actually rated by 247Sports. Only four of their 10 commits are ranked. They are led by a four-star edge defender and former Baylor pledge, Isaiah Crawford.
For the Longhorns, the staff has high priority targets such as Newman Isidore quarterback Arch Manning. The crown jewel of the class as the No. 1 overall prospect. As it sits now, Sarkisian and the staff are right in the thick of it as Manning recently eliminated the Clemson Tigers from the mix. That is just one iron in the fire.
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The Longhorns know they will likely lose Bijan Robinson to the NFL following the season, he had first-round buzz since the day he stepped onto the Forty Acres. That is why landing Rueben Owens of El Campo is where Tashard Choice should focus his efforts. The former Texas commit has kept the Longhorns right in the thick of it.
The other key member of the 2023 cycle to monitor is wide receiver Johntay Cook II. The DeSoto wideout is the No. 6 ranked player in Texas and the No. 7 wide receiver according to 247Sports composite rankings. If Sarkisian can land all three of these targets, the rest of the class will start coming together.
The 2022 class was known for their offensive line, but 2023 could be the year of the offensive explosion at their skill positions. As far as the defense, we will dive more into that side of the ball soon. We will highlight one priority target at cornerback, Javien Toviano. The five-star cornerback from Arlington-Martin would be a welcomed addition as the Longhorns look to reload on the defensive side of the ball.
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