Tag: 2021 class

Steve Sarkisian announces where Ja’Tavion Sanders will play

Five-star ATH Ja’Tavion Sanders was the crown jewel of the 2021 class. Steve Sarkisian said Sanders is going to start his career on offense.

As big of a disappointment the 2021 recruiting class was for Tom Herman and his former staff, five-star athlete Ja’Tavion Sanders was the crown jewel. He ended up as the Longhorns’ top-rated recruit on the 247Sports composite and the only five-star.

The Denton Ryan product showed his ability on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball throughout high school. Because of that, nobody was quite sure where he would line up in Austin. Both Herman and Steve Sarkisian have said he will be tried and tested on both sides.

During the Orange and White game, the Longhorn Network broadcast asked about Sanders and where he will fit into the lineup. Sarkisian mentioned both he and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski have been looking for a way to fit him into their schemes.

Sarkisian said Sanders is going to start his Texas career on the offensive side of the ball. Whether wide receiver or tight end will be the position is still yet to be seen.

Jack was considered a position of concern going into the season and possibly a place Sanders could be plugged in. However, Ray Thornton has come in from LSU and excelled throughout spring practice.

Freshman tight ends Gunnar Helm and Juan Davis played a big role in the spring game as well. Watching Sarkisian find ways to implement Sanders into the offense will be one of the main storylines of fall camp.

Sanders was listed at 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds on 247Sports. His run toward a 6A-DI state championship with Denton Ryan saw an impressive one-handed catch. No wonder Sarkisian wants him to aid his brand new starting quarterback.

Former Texas WR target Xavier Worthy requests NLI release from Michigan

A young, true star is needed for Texas at wide receiver. On Thursday, Xavier Worthy requested a release from his national letter of intent.

Wide receiver has been a position group struggling early on in Steve Sarkisian’s first spring camp. The quantity is there, even with Jake Smith suffering a broken foot and Tory Omeire still recovering from a torn ACL. However, the quality has been lacking from top to bottom.

Only one wide receiver from the 2021 class is on campus as an early enrollee in Jaden Alexis. Despite being ranked the No. 56 receiver on the 247Sports composite, the Florida native was the highest-rated player at the position in Texas’ class.

A young, true star is needed for Texas at wide receiver. On Thursday, an option may have opened.

Four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy signed with Michigan on Dec. 16 but did not enroll early. He requested a release from his national letter of intent, saying “things did not go as planned.”

Here is his full statement:

“Since graduating HS, I looked forward to starting my college football career at the University of Michigan, however; due to circumstance beyond my control, things did not go as planned – and I have submitted a NLI release request.

To the Michigan coaching staff, I have nothing but the upmost respect & appreciation for the opoortunity offered to me. And to the Michigan fans I’ll always be grateful for all the love & support you’ve shown me.

At this time I’m reopening my recruitment, in search of a new home to begin my college football career.”

When Worthy decided to sign with Michigan, his recruitment came down them and another national brand: Alabama. The four-star wide receiver made an unofficial trip to Tuscaloosa on Nov. 28, the weekend of the Iron Bowl when Steve Sarkisian took over as the head coach for Nick Saban.

Should Sarkisian look to dip into the portal for a wide receiver, Worthy should be his first call. A speedy deep threat is desperately needed, even if inexperience is a factor.

Worthy ranked as the No. 61 player and No. 8 wide receiver on the 247Sports composite in the 2021 class. The California native was the No. 4 in-state prospect.

Four-star PG TyTy Washington picks up late offer from Chris Beard and Texas

UT is still in chasing a couple of ’21 prospects, most notably four-star PG TyTy Washington. He was extended an offer by Texas on Thursday.

Chris Beard landed his first commit as the head coach at Texas on Thursday in four-star forward Jaylon Tyson. The former Texas Tech signee requested a release from his national letter of intent and switched over, following Beard to Austin.

Texas is still in the running for a couple of 2021 prospects, most notably four-star point guard TyTy Washington. The Arizona native was extended an offer by the Longhorns on Thursday, putting them squarely in contention for the former Creighton commit.

When head coach Greg McDermott was under fire for some controversial remarks, Washington announced his decommitment from the Big East program on March 11. Eight programs have reached out within a week, most notably Arizona, Kansas, Texas Tech, and UCLA.

Washington has not set a decision date yet.

On the 247Sports composite, Washington is the No. 30 overall player. Within the state of Arizona, he is the No. 2 player, only behind five-star forward and projected G-League player Michael Foster. Washington is the No. 3 point guard in the 2021 class.

Tamar Bates was supposed to be reinforcements for the plethora of potential guards leaving this offseason. After Shaka Smart left for Marquette, the four-star requested a release from his national letter of intent. Beard is still attempting to bring Bates back, but other options are being explored.

Landing Washington would not only soften the blow of losing Bates but possibly provide an upgrade.

Former Texas Tech commit Jaylon Tyson follows Chris Beard to Texas

Jaylon Tyson signed with Texas Tech before requesting a release from his LOI. Just hours later, Tyson announced he was committing to Texas.

New men’s basketball head coach Chris Beard left Texas Tech for Texas and the feeling was immediate for both programs. We knew there was going to be an after-effect from this as some of Beard’s coaches followed him to Austin.

Now, he’s also attracted a player of his to Austin as well.

Four-star forward Jaylon Tyson signed with the Red Raiders on Nov. 11 before requesting a release from his national letter of intent. Just hours later, Tyson announced he was committing to Texas, following Beard.

The John Paul II product is the No. 35 player and No. 8 small forward on the 247Sports composite. Within the state of Texas, Tyson ranks as the No. 4 player. He is one of Texas’ highest-rated recruits ever (No. 18), just behind Andrew Jones.

With how depleted the Longhorns’ roster could be next season, landing Tyson is big for Beard. Matt Coleman, Andrew Jones, and Courtney Ramey are still contemplating their futures, leaving little to no perimeter shooting.

This will be the first of a few new faces on the 40 Acres. Beard is going to hit the transfer portal hard to make sure there is not a rebuilding year. In his introductory press conference, the message was clear- the University of Texas was about winning championships.

Landing Tyson was the first step to making sure Texas can contend in the Big 12 next season.

Texas Basketball Recruiting: Four-star center Charles Bediako releases top five

Texas is going to be in need of big men next season. Charles Bediako, who released his top five, could provide relief from the 2021 class.

Chris Beard’s work on the recruiting trail has already begun, even less than a week into his tenure. With Kai Jones already off to the NBA and Jericho Sims more than likely right behind him, Texas is going to be in need of big men next season. Charles Bediako could provide relief from the 2021 class.

The four-star center from IMG Academy released his top five schools on Thursday, with Texas making the cut with some elite basketball programs. Duke, Michigan, and Ohio State were on the list, plus Alabama.

Bediako is one of the highest-rated uncommitted prospects left in the 2021 class. Landing the center would be the perfect start in the recruiting circuit for Beard.

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
247 4 27 4 4
Rivals 4 29 4 –
ESPN 4 29 7 1
247 Composite 4 26 4 5

Vitals

Hometown Bradenton, Florida
Projected Position Center
Height 6-11
Weight 215

Recruitment

  • Offered on April 3, 2020
  • No visit yet

Top five schools

Film

Twitter

Four-star SG Tamar Bates requests release from national letter of intent

Another player will be leaving the Texas program before ever playing a game. SG Tamar Bates has requested a release from his national LOI.

When a head coach is fired or moves on to a different school, there is going to be turnover both on the roster and in the recruiting world. Since Shaka Smart headed back home to Marquette, two players have entered the transfer portal and Kai Jones has declared for the NBA draft.

Another player will be leaving the program before ever playing a game.

Four-star shooting guard Tamar Bates, Texas’ top signee in the 2021 recruiting class, has requested a release from his national letter of intent. Bates is listed at 6-4, 175-pounds and went to IMG Academy in Florida. On the 247Sports composite, he ranked as the No. 56 overall player and the No. 14 shooting guard.

His loss will severely hurt the Longhorns, especially with how thin the 2021-2022 roster could be. Guard Matt Coleman is expected to leave, while Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey are still in the air. If all three do decide to test the NBA waters, Texas’ depth at guard will be one of the thinnest in the Big 12.

11 days before his commitment in Aug. 2020, Bates released a top seven schools list. Alabama, Creighton, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, and Oregon will all in contention for the shooting guard before he ultimately picked Texas.

According to Eric Bossi of 247Sports, the four-star will not be discussing his recruitment until after his season at the GEICO Nationals. As Bates is originally from Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri should be two schools to look out for.

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Texas signee Ja’Tavion Sanders listed as a prospect with the most potential

ESPN took the top 25 classes and picked a player who had the most potential. Five-star Ja’Tavion Sanders was selected for the Longhorns.

Early into spring ball, Texas has had to put activities on hold due to positive COVID-19 tests within the program. Despite there only being one practice, a few members of Texas’ 2021 recruiting class were already standing out. J.D. Coffey was emerging at safety, while Juan Davis and Gunnar Helm have stood out at tight end.

The best of the bunch has yet to even arrive on campus, though. Five-star Ja’Tavion Sanders was the top-rated recruit that Tom Herman’s staff pulled in. Sanders is a weapon on both sides of the ball, playing defensive end or slotting in as a receiving tight end.

ESPN took the top 25 classes and selected one player in the class based on their potential. Sanders was selected for the Longhorns over names such as Terrance Cooks and Byron Murphy. Here is what they had to say about the Denton Ryan product:

Sanders is one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire class for Texas. He’s a 6-foot-4, 220-pound prospect labeled as an athlete and the No. 13-ranked recruit overall. Steve Sarkisian has said Texas will look at Sanders for both offense and defense, and he legitimately could thrive on either side. He had 1,161 yards on 63 receptions and 16 touchdowns his final season in high school while also playing defensive end. Such versatility is rare, and once he figures out where he can make the biggest impact, he could be a multi-year starter for the Longhorns.

Steve Sarkisian has been honest and transparent, stating that they will determine where Sanders is needed at the end of spring ball. Even if he plays mainly offense or mainly defense, Sarkisian has experience with two-way players. Sanders’ versatility is why ESPN loves him.

Scouting report: Sanders is a big athlete who brings a lot of value to a roster, as he could contribute at multiple spots on either side of the ball. He combines his size with good strength, quickness, and ball skills.

Outside of the quarterback battle, where Sanders lines up could be a top storyline going into the season. Wherever the coaching staff decides to line him up, Sanders will instantly improve this Texas team.

Texas Football Recruiting: Comparing the transition classes from Strong, Herman, and Sarkisian

For UT, three transition classes have occurred since firing Mack Brown. Here is how all three worked out for Strong, Herman, and Sarkisian.

One of the most difficult aspects of hiring a new coach is retaining and working with a transition recruiting class. More times than not, the entire class was recruited by and had relationships with the old staff. The new head coach had little to no prior contact.

For Texas, three transition classes have occurred since the firing of Mack Brown in Dec. 2013. Charlie Strong, Tom Herman, and now Steve Sarkisian have all had to manage with someone else’s recruits. For Strong and Herman, we witnessed how they turned out, while Sarkisian still has the chance to prove himself.

Each class has its positives to go along with its weaknesses. All three transition classes ranked outside the top 10 nationally on the 247Sports composite. When struggling on the field and dealing with continual staff turnover, Texas’ new head coaches were all given tough hands.

Here are Strong, Herman, and Sarkisian’s transition classes and how they turned out.

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Texas Football Recruiting: Where the Longhorns’ six decommits ended up

Decommitments are inevitable, especially when making coaching changes in a cycle. Here are where the six former UT commits ended up signing.

The 2021 recruiting class was an important one for Tom Herman and it played a role in why he was let go as the head coach. Continue reading “Texas Football Recruiting: Where the Longhorns’ six decommits ended up”

Status of current, future running back room at Texas after missing on L.J. Johnson

Texas whiffed on a major prospect in the 2021 class in RB L.J. Johnson. Here is the current and future status of the RB room.

Texas whiffed on a major prospect from the 2021 recruiting class, four-star running back L.J. Johnson. He chose to sign with Texas’ in-state rival Texas A&M.

Where does the running back room go from here?

As the situation stands, there will be at least three scholarship players returning. Recruits from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 classes are still up for grabs. With Texas retaining Stan Drayton as its running back’s coach, it will have an experienced and respected recruiter.

Here is the status of the current running back room, plus a look at the possible recruits Texas could go after.