Texas was seemingly riding a wave of momentum on the recruiting trail until Thursday.
Five-star running back Rueben Owens announced he was decommitting from Texas via Twitter on Thursday morning. Owens is rated the No. 2 player at his position and No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Texas for the 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
Owens was the lone commit in Texas’ 2023 cycle, and he has played a vital role in recruiting other players to Austin with him, including fellow five-star quarterback Arch Manning.
“Although the University of Texas will still be one of the programs I will consider, I am officially decommitting and reopening my recruiting campaign,” Owens stated.
Thanks for everything Hook Em nation, recruiting 100% open. #Faith 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/fPup7VPWHr
— Rueben Owens ll 🖤🦄 #4soCr4zy (@ii_rueben) June 17, 2021
Owens recently took unofficial visits to LSU and Alabama and has received offers from numerous well-respected Power Five programs. He was recently in Austin with several other highly sought 2023 prospects and was seen catching passes from Manning at Texas’ camp.
It’s not totally shocking for a young talented prospect to explore other options at this point in his recruitment. Although he’s one of the top players in the country, Texas still appears to be solid at the position moving forward. Bijan Robinson is expected to have a breakout season, while a combination of Roschon Johnson, Jonathon Brooks, Jaydon Blue and incoming transfer Keilan Robinson should hold down the backfield for the next few seasons.