Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Could TreVonte’ Citizen be an option to replace Jamarion Miller in the 2022 class?
A Thanksgiving surprise for Texas fans.
Jaylon Guilbeau gave Texas fans a pleasant Thanksgiving surprise as the Port Arthur product announced he has re-committed to the Horns.
The recruitment of Guilbeau has been a back-and-forth battle.
The four-star corner originally committed to Tom Herman’s staff in Sept. of 2020. Guilbeau remained solid to Texas through the coaching change until ultimately deciding to decommit in July.
Guilbeau committed to Gary Patterson at TCU two months later, but the Texas staff remained in contact. This proved to pay dividends as Patterson is now out at TCU, leading to Guilbeau deciding Texas was the better place for him.
Guilbeau is rated as the No. 24 cornerback in the country and the No. 30 overall prospect in Texas according to 247sports composite rankings.
Texas currently has the No. 7 ranked recruiting class in the country, tops in the Big 12. Landing Guilbeau will hopefully provide some much-needed momentum as Texas looks to close on some other top prospects before early signing day in Dec.
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Evan Stewart not turned away by Texas’ losses?
The Longhorns had numerous big-time recruits at their game against Oklahoma State. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good look that Texas was unable to finish the game for the second consecutive week.
The Longhorns would end up losing to the Cowboys after holding a double-digit lead at one point. There were not many positives that could be taken from the game either, as quarterback Casey Thompson had the worst game of his career, the offensive line is looking more and more hopeless every week, and the defense again got ran all over by Jaylen Warren.
However, there has been two major positives that have come out of the two losses for Texas. The first is the fact that running back Bijan Robinson is an absolute star and is only a sophomore. The second being the fact that sought-after recruits are still viewing Texas as a place to be.
The top wide receiver in the 2022 class, five-star Evan Stewart, tweeted shortly after Texas’ loss to Oklahoma and proved to the fans that not all hope is lost. Although winning is always better, Texas has lost three games already, and still has to take on Baylor and Iowa State. The truth is, Steve Sarkisian is in his first season with a roster of players that don’t all fit the mold of what he wants.
His play-calling abilities that we have seen a few times this season is still a major draw to young players. Stewart tweeted that the more a team loses, the closer they are to success. Perhaps he wants to go in and be one of the reasons the team turns it around?
In my opinion the more u lose… lowkey the closer you get🤷🏾♂️idk I jus have my reasons ig to think that
— 𝓮𝓿𝓪𝓷 𝓼𝓽𝓮𝔀𝓪𝓻𝓽 (@0fficial_evan) October 18, 2021
Stewart currently holds 247Sports crystal ball predictions to Texas and Florida, two schools that have underwhelmed in a major way this season and are both coming off majorly disappointing losses.
Stewart likely sees a receiver group that is not very deep, where he can come in and play right away and be a contributor. He like the rest of us has seen freshman sensation Xavier Worthy be a star, and that is something that Stewart will likely consider when making his final decision.
“The play-calling is second to none.”
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.
Four-star ATH Mikal Harrison-Pilot will be in attendance for Texas’ game at Arkansas.
The No. 15 Texas Longhorns are in Fayetteville to take on Arkansas in front of a sold-out crowd, and they will have a highly touted recruit making the trip to watch them.
Four-star athlete Mikal Harrison-Pilot announced via Twitter on Saturday that he will be in attendance for Texas’ matchup with Arkansas. The Temple, Texas native is the No. 11 athlete in the 2023 recruiting class and the No. 18 overall prospect in the state according to 247Sports.
Harrison-Pilot is getting a two-for-one in attending this Week 2 matchup, as he currently holds scholarship offers from both the Longhorns and Razorbacks.
headed up to fayetteville to watch some @RazorbackFB vs @TexasFootball #WooPigSooie🐗#HookEm🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/bUIp0YoQjH
— Mikal Harrison-Pilot (@MikalPilot) September 11, 2021
He’s a three-sport athlete at Temple High School and plays both sides of the ball on the football field. Harrison-Pilot played safety on varsity as a freshman and earned second-team all-district honors, and has also found success at the wide receiver position where he earned first-team all-district selection as a sophomore.
In 2020, he recorded 38 receptions for 502 yards and seven touchdowns.
Texas’ 2022 class moved up three spots nationally following the commitment of Jaray Bledsoe.
Just when people thought that Texas recruiting would hit a wall until they showcased results on the field this season, elite recruiter and Texas defensive line coach, Bo Davis, came through again for the Longhorns.
Davis has been on fire as of late picking up two major commitments in two weeks. A week after landing four-star defensive lineman Aaron Bryant, Davis continued his momentum by picking up a commitment from four-star defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe on Monday.
With the Bledsoe commitment, the Longhorns moved up three spots in 247Sports’ 2022 recruiting rankings from No. 10 to No. 7. Texas now has 19 total commitments for the 2022 cycle.
Steve Sarkisian’s first full cycle at Texas currently sits ahead of programs such as LSU, Texas A&M, and Florida State. Along with the No. 7 class in the nation, Texas now holds the top class in the Big 12.
It’s critical that the Longhorns show consistency and progress during the 2021 season to truly catch the attention of other big-name prospects such as five-stars Denver Harris, Devon Campbell, and Evan Stewart.
The Longhorns recently offered four-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, a teammate of current Texas commit Maalik Murphy.
The Longhorns are looking to get their 2023 class rolling and have extended an offer to four-star cornerback Rodrick Pleasant.
The defensive back announced via Twitter that he had received an offer from Texas on Tuesday. Pleasant is rated as a top 20 player in the state of California and the No. 23 cornerback in the 2023 class according to 247Sports.
He attends Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California. If that rings a bell, it’s because 2022 Texas commit Maalik Murphy attends the same school.
Pleasant has accumulated 17 offers from schools such as USC, Oregon, Arizona State, TCU, and Michigan. He also runs track and registered an impressive 10.57 100-meter and a 21.36 200-meter as a sophomore.
| Stars | Overall | Position | State | |
| 247 | 4 | – | 25 | 19 |
| Rivals | – | – | – | – |
| ESPN | 4 | 157 | 22 | 15 |
| 247 Composite | 4 | 210 | 22 | 17 |
| Hometown | Gardena, California |
| Projected Position | CB |
| Height | 5-11 |
| Weight | 180 |
No crystal ball predictions at this time
Beyond bless to say that I have received a division 1 offer from The University of Texas!! #HOOKEM🟠⚪️#STARSFAMILY @CoachJeffBanks @chrisflores0321 pic.twitter.com/RjOerDtnKw
— Rodrick Pleasant🗡 (@RodrickP16) July 20, 2021
The Longhorns lost out on big-bodied offensive lineman Cameron Williams. He announced his commitment to Oregon on Thursday.
Just days after big-bodied offensive lineman Cameron Williams visited the Forty Acres, he was given two crystal ball predictions in favor of Texas.
Steve Sarkisian and his staff, primarily offensive line coach Kyle Flood, were excited about the depth and potential of Williams. The Duncanville native is believed to have a great amount of upside with his 6-foot-5, 360-pound frame.
While everything seemed to be going in Texas’ favor, Williams surprisingly announced his commitment to Oregon via Twitter on Thursday. The Ducks offered Williams early on in his recruitment, while the Longhorns were late to the party and extended an offer on May 5. Oregon coach Mario Christobal is also one of the top offensive line coaches in the country.
Scoooo🦆🦆 pic.twitter.com/KXZm9L4D0u
— Cameron Williams (@BigCamWill) July 1, 2021
This commitment gave Oregon’s recruiting class a slight boost according to 247Sports’ rankings. The Ducks moved up one spot from No. 13 to No. 12 in the nation for the 2022 cycle.
Williams marks their second commit of the day, as they also received a pledge from Southern California native and fellow three-star offensive lineman Michael Wooten. Along with Williams and Wooten, the Ducks also got some help on the defensive side of the ball on Monday when four-star linebacker T.J. Dudley committed to Oregon as well.
The Longhorns still have a chance for instant redemption after losing Williams, as four-star lineman Cole Hutson and three-star lineman Connor Robertson are both scheduled to announce their commitments on July 2.
This has been a tough few days on the recruiting trail for Texas after a promising last week with four-star running back Jamarion Miller committing. Over the last two days, the Longhorns lost out on Williams, Terrance Brooks and Keahnist Thompson.
Sarkisian and his staff still have potential to start July off with a bang if they are able to land Hutson and Robertson on Friday. Not to mention, there are are still a few big names on the board such as Kelvin Banks and Devon Campbell. Regardless, having a small win like Williams is one that the Longhorns would have loved.
Steve Sarkisian is an offense of juggernaut, but not only will he bring in offensive future-NFL talent, expect him on the defensive side of the ball too.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was on the offensive staff at Alabama for two seasons (2019-2020). In the 2019 NFL draft, the Crimson Tide produced nine draft picks, four of which were on offense and happened to be first-round selections. In 2020, it looks like Alabama will have as many as 11 draft picks and six of those could be offensive first-round selections.
We’ve already seen the impact that Sarkisian’s offensive pedigree is having in Austin with the additions of highly sought-after offensive additions in Maalik Murphy, Jaydon Blue and Armani Winfield for the 2022 recruiting class.
What about defense?
Looking back at Sarkisian’s time at Washington and USC, he was able to land plenty of defensive players. Some even made it to the pro level such as Danny Shelton, Marcus Peters, Cory Littleton, Shaq Thompson, Kevin King, Adoree’ Jackson, Uchenna Nwosu, Rasheem Green, Iman Marshall and Porter Gustin among others.
The ability to recruit and develop offensive talent has been Sarkisian’s bread and butter. However, his ability to find defensive talent and turn them into pros has been an unnoticed aspect of his coaching.
He’s inherited promising defensive playmakers DeMarvion Overshown, D’Shawn Jamison and Alfred Collins in Austin. The 2022 class on that side of the ball appears to be a solid group thus far with early commits from Bryan Allen Jr and Jaylon Guilbeau.
Sarkisian will continue to bring in and develop future NFL offensive talent, and given his history of doing so defensively, it’s not too hard to imagine that in the next two to three seasons that we start seeing the Longhorns put out 10 prospects per draft, just as they did in the Mack Brown era.
The early signing period is just two weeks away. UT’s 2021 class has continued to slowly grow. Here is how the prospects played in Week 12.
The early signing period for the 2021 recruiting class is just two weeks away. As things stand, Texas has the No. 17 overall recruiting class and the No. 2 class in the Big 12. It has been a stressful and frustrating cycle.
With the end of the Tom Herman era upon us, it may be getting even worse. If the head coach is fired before recruits have the ability to sign on Dec. 16, they may be looking at other places.
Plenty of 2021 commits has already decided to take their talents elsewhere, even with Herman still in charge. These next two weeks will determine a lot about the future of Texas football.
For the players still in the class, here are how they are wrapping up their final high school seasons:
