Although losing in front of every top prospect known to man for two consecutive weeks isn’t ideal, the Longhorns are still in good standing with many of the top recruits in the country.
While winning against the Oklahoma’s would have likely made life a tad easier, or even give them more respect for Texas, there is much more to just current success that weighs on the decisions that recruits make to attend a school.
In the case of 2023 four-star wide receiver Johntay Cook II, who was present for the Oklahoma State game, he is very much impressed with what he has seen this season from Steve Sarkisian.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Cook discussed his recruitment up to this point and the schools that he has visited and enjoyed. He raved about Texas, where he has visited twice since Sarkisian took over as the head coach.
“Believe in Sark. All gas no brakes,” Cook said about what he likes about Texas. “The play-calling is second to none. It’s unbelievable how Coach Sark draws up those plays and how he gets those dudes open.”
He didn’t stop there as he also talked about the future of Texas when Sarkisian is able to get the players he wants:
“Sometimes, maybe you’re not as open as you thought you would be so you really don’t have the play-making ability to make the play as needed. So I feel like once Coach Sark gets the playmakers that he wants, like he had at Alabama, Texas is gonna be on top.”
Cook expressed that his recruitment is far from over, and although he has posted his top schools on Twitter, there are a few schools who have seemed to be prioritizing him. The programs that he has been hearing from the most are Texas, USC, Texas A&M, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida and LSU.
Of the programs he has repeatedly discussed, it seems that Texas is in that upper echelon of schools.
The DeSoto product is rated the No. 7 wide receiver in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports composite. In the country, he’s seen as the No. 9 overall prospect.