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Texas has the chance to pull a special class on the offensive side of the ball. Here are the top targets UT will be after in the 2022 class.
The 2021 recruiting cycle is officially over and Texas can look forward to Steve Sarkisian’s first class as the head coach. Continue reading “Texas Football Recruiting: Top targets for 2022 offensive class”
Steve Sarkisian will need to get the 2022 quarterback right. Another option is off the table as Conner Weigman committed to Texas A&M.
One of the first major decisions that Steve Sarkisian will have to make in the recruiting world will be at quarterback for 2022. Of course, Quinn Ewers is the ultimate goal, but the five-star Southlake Carroll product has shown no signs of backing off of his commitment to Ohio State.
Another option is now off the table as four-star quarterback Conner Weigman committed to Texas A&M on Thursday. Not only is he expected to play football during his time in college station but baseball as well. Weigman could even be a better prospect on the diamond.
On the 247Sports composite, Weigman ranks as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 93 overall player in the country. Within the state of Texas, he is the No. 16 prospect and the second-highest ranked quarterback.
The Aggies now have four commits in their 2022 cycle and rank as the No. 8 class in the country. Each commit is an in-state prospect and top 160 talent. The early momentum is in thanks to their Orange Bowl-winning season that finished with a 9-1 record.
100% Committed #GigEm š@CoachDickey1 @Rob_Childress @R_Brauninger pic.twitter.com/KzDk08tUYI
— Conner Weigman (@ConnerWeigman) February 4, 2021
Texas now has three quarterback offers who are still uncommitted. Cade Klubnik and Maalik Murphy are the main names the Longhorns are targeting, while Ty Simpson will be announcing his decision on Feb. 19.
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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.
Four-star quarterback Tanner Bailey caught up with Longhorns Wire on Monday.
Since Steve Sarkisian has taken over as the head coach at Texas, high school quarterbacks have been drawn to play for him. Continue reading “Four-star QB Tanner Bailey: “It would be really hard to pass up” playing for Steve Sarkisian”
Four-star quarterback Tanner Bailey caught up with Longhorns Wire on Monday.
Since Steve Sarkisian has taken over as the head coach at Texas, high school quarterbacks have been drawn to play for him. Continue reading “Four-star QB Tanner Bailey: “It would be really hard to pass up” playing for Steve Sarkisian”
The interior offensive line is a competitive one and somewhere that Texas needs to perform well.
Offensive line recruiting is going to be one of the most important positional groups in Texas’ 2022 class. After covering who the Longhorns have offered at the offensive tackle position, let’s shift gears and take a look at the interior of the line with the guards.
To this point, there have only been three offers extended to guards. Each of them come from inside the state of Texas and in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood recently re-offered five-star Devon Campbell as they reevaluate their options.
According to the 247Sports composite, there are only nine prospects who are classified as guards and have blue-chip status. The interior offensive recruiting area is a competitive one and somewhere Texas needs to perform well on.
Here is the list of offensive guards Texas has offered from the 2022 class:
Landon Hullaby has released his top 10 schools with Texas making the cut. The safety is the brother of current UT player Jaden Hullaby.
Landon Hullaby, a four-star prospect in the 2022 class, has released his top 10 schools with Texas making the cut. The safety is the younger brother of current Longhorns player Jaden Hullaby.
Baylor, Oklahoma State, and TCU are the other three programs present in Hullaby’s final school list. Teams from the SEC and Pac-12 remain in the race as well.
| Stars | Overall | State | Position | |
| 247 | 3 | – | 55 | 23 |
| Rivals | 3 | – | 50 | 27 |
| ESPN | 4 | 204 | 33 | 22 |
| 247 Composite | 4 | 306 | 38 | 17 |
| Hometown | Mansfield, Texas |
| Projected Position | Cornerback |
| Height | 6-0 |
| Weight | 185 |
Top 10šš¾ recruitment still 100% open. pic.twitter.com/d1GHfiCF0M
— Lando Hullaby. (@_Lhull22_) January 19, 2021
The biggest off the field question seems to be the QB that headlines UT’s ’22 recruiting class. Here are the five potential QBs ranked.
The biggest off the field question surrounding this Texas football team seems to be who will be the quarterback that headlines the Longhorns’ 2022 recruiting class. A cycle loaded with talent from top to bottom, whoever Steve Sarkisian decides to end up taking is going to be the quarterback of the future.
It all begins with one man out of Southlake Carroll High School in five-star and 1.000 rated prospect Quinn Ewers. The once Texas commit has been seen as the quarterback who can be the next Vince Young or Colt McCoy and lead the Longhorns to another national championship. However, he backed off his pledge and is currently committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Sarkisian’s first recruiting assignment will be locking down the 2022 quarterback. Tom Herman’s staff sent out offers to five prospects in Ewers, Malik Murphy, Cade Klubnik, Ty Simpson, and Conner Weigman. Three reside in the state of Texas, while Murphy is a west coast product and Simpson resides in SEC country. Snagging a commitment from any of them would be huge for Texas.
However, it is likely there will only be one. Here are those five ranked in order of how interested the Longhorns should be in them.
Texas is still in the running for four-star safety Zion Branch out of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Texas is still in the running for four-star safety Zion Branch. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native plays for Bishop Gorman High School — one of the premier football programs in the entire country.
Four Pac-12 programs are included among his top 11 schools, as well as traditional powerhouses such as Alabama, LSU, and Ohio State. It’s worth noting that Jeff Banks is listed as Branch’s main recruiter for the Crimson Tide. Banks is expected to join Steve Sarkisian’s staff in Austin.
Texas already has one defensive back in the 2022 class in four-star cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau. If the Longhorns end up being the destination for Branch, it would be another great defensive back added to their rich history.
| Stars | Overall | State | Position | |
| 247 | 4 | 50 | 2 | 4 |
| Rivals | 4 | 43 | 1 | 4 |
| ESPN | 4 | 91 | 2 | 6 |
| 247 Composite | 4 | 53 | 2 | 3 |
| Hometown | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Projected Position | Safety |
| Height | 6-2.5 |
| Weight | 190 |
11.@BishopGormanFB@Hayesfawcett3 pic.twitter.com/ldkkgQTXeP
— Zion Branch (@zionbranch) January 17, 2021
Caleb Burton, once considered the top priority, has committed to Ohio State. Another in-state blue-chip prospect slips through UT’s fingers.
When five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers committed to Texas in August, it seemed as if the Longhorns were going to have a historic recruiting class. Not only were top players from in the state targets but some of the best prospects across the country thought about playing in Austin.
Everything changed when Ewers, the No. 2 overall player on the 247Sports composite decommitted from Texas and instead chose to head north to Ohio State. Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have been known to enter the state and steal blue-chip players from Tom Herman. On Monday afternoon, they did it again.
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Five-star Caleb Burton, once considered the top priority after Ewers, has committed to Ohio State. Coming out of Del Valle High School, Burton ranks in the top 15 nationally and is the No. 2 wide receiver on the 247Sports composite.
Outside of Texas and Ohio State, 36 other schools have offered Burton, making him a hot commodity. He had released a top 12 consisting of schools such as Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, and Oklahoma.
COMMITTED #GodsPlan #Zone6ļøā£š° pic.twitter.com/GNYsjzCvB1
— Caleb Burton III (@calebburtoniii) November 24, 2020
Ohio State now has nine commits in their 2022 class, with the top two being from the state of Texas. More could even be on the way with prospects such as cornerback Denver Harris drawing attention from the Buckeyes.
Tom Herman’s past two recruiting cycles have been nothing short of a dumpster fire. Losing in-state blue-chip talent to other elite programs year in and year out is an excellent way to make your seat warmer than it already is.
While Texas does have time to respond, things are not looking great. Other schools are going to have the opportunity to steal even more top in-state talent over the next year.
