Tag: Texas football recruiting

Discussing key players Texas has brought over from Dallas-Fort Worth

Texas is getting much of its five-star talent from the Dallas area.

North Texas wasn’t always a fertile recruiting ground for Texas. If the last three recruiting cycles are any indication, it is now.

The Longhorns have landed commitments from a handful of five-star or borderline five-star players from that region over the last three recruiting classes. Among them are Anthony Hill Jr. (Denton), Colin Simmons (Duncanville), Johntay Cook (Desoto), Malik Muhammad (South Oak Cliff), Devon Campbell Jr. (Arlington) and Xavier Filsaime (McKinney).

Many of the Longhorns’ key players from a season ago came from areas in or close to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. To his credit, former head coach Tom Herman also prioritized the region late in his tenure.

Jake Majors (Prosper) enters his fourth year as a starter at center. First round NFL defensive tackle Byron Murphy (Desoto) and now Carolina Panthers tight end JaTavion Sanders (Denton) depart Austin this offseason.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian’s national recruiting approach has benefitted the Longhorns, but his focus on the now fertile Dallas area is paying dividends. We’ll monitor whether or not that continues with the 2025 recruiting class.

Looking at game changers Texas has added in Steve Sarkisian era

It’s not how many four-stars, but how many true game-changers that make a winning team.

Having a roster of blue chip players doesn’t win championships. Having around eight game-altering players does. It’s why Texas is now winning at a level it hasn’t in over a decade.

The Texas football program has long been known for recruiting good players. For years, outsiders remarked on the Longhorns’ failure to consistently win at a high level over the head coaching tenures of Charlie Strong and Tom Herman. Those teams didn’t have enough players who could take control of games. Sarkisian’s teams have that.

Game changers have changed the course of the program. Sarkisian’s first of many such players was his only 2021 recruit, Xavier Worthy. As a freshman, Worthy put up 62 receptions, 981 yards and 12 touchdowns. Alone, Worthy wasn’t enough to alter game results, but he did make games interesting.

The next offseason, Texas added two five-star offensive linemen. One of them was left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. who went on to a freshman All-American season in 2022. He’s on track to be selected in the first round of a future NFL draft like Xavier Worthy was this offseason.

By the 2022 season, the Longhorns had cultivated or brought in more game changers, but not enough to win a conference title. Linebacker Jaylan Ford and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders became players of that caliber, but you need more than four players taking over games.

In the 2023 offseason, Texas added a couple more stars in wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. Mitchell went for 11 touchdown receptions while Hill added 67 total tackles and five sacks in limited playing time. Edge rusher Ethan Burke added 5.5 sacks, while interior defensive linemen Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat became All-Americans and early round draft picks. Game changers.

This offseason has seen Texas add five Top 50 portal players in wide receiver Isaiah Bond (Alabama), edge rusher Trey Moore (UTSA), three-year starting safety Andrew Mukuba (Clemson), tight end Amari Niblack (Alabama) and wide receiver Matthew Golden (Houston).

Texas’ 2024 recruiting class added five-star wide receiver Ryan Wingo and a five-star edge rusher and two-time Texas state championship defensive MVP in Colin Simmons. More potential game changers.

We can point to moments where T’Vondre Sweat, Jonathon Brooks, Adonai Mitchell, Xavier Worthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders, wide receiver Jordan Whittington, defensive back Jahdae Barron and perhaps starting quarterback Quinn Ewers altered the course of games. It took all those contributing players to make it to the College Football Playoff.

Five-star or borderline five-star pedigree certainly magnifies the play of big game players. It’s what makes adding players like Anthony Hill Jr., Johntay Cook, Malik Muhammad, Colin Simmons, Ryan Wingo and potential future Longhorn Dakorien Moore so important. Malik Muhammad is primed to break out this season.

Texas is winning recruitments of the five-star skill players it wasn’t getting in the past two coaching regimes. Interestingly, five of the above six are Dallas-Fort Worth area prospects. That alone speaks to how much better recruiting has been since Sarkisian took over.

We have yet to mention running backs where Texas has produced two NFL draft picks in back to back offseasons. The four drafted running backs included fourth string running back Keilan Robinson who was selected in the fifth round this offseason. One or both of five-star running back Cedric Baxter Jr. and home run threat Jaydon Blue could become household names like Jonathon Brooks did last season.

Texas needs around eight players to prove capable of taking control of games in 2024 if it wants to compete for a national title. This group looks to have several players who can take over games. We’ll begin to find out how many they will have when the team kicks off against Colorado State on Aug. 31 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

Nation’s No. 1 WR and five-star Dakorien Moore trends to Texas

Will Arch Manning be throwing to three five-star receivers next year, or two?

Five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore has decommitted from the LSU Tigers. The nation’s No. 1 receiver now trends to a new team. Continue reading “Nation’s No. 1 WR and five-star Dakorien Moore trends to Texas”

2025 OL prospect Jackson Christian commits to Texas

Texas finds a 6-foot-5, 309-pound lineman in the 2025 class.

The Texas Longhorns have added a big human to their 2025 recruiting class. Port Neches Groves offensive lineman Jackson Christian has committed to Texas.

The three-star recruit meets offensive line coach Kyle Flood’s criteria for frame on the offensive line. At 6-foot-5 and weighing over 300 pounds, Christian possesses the requisite size to move defensive fronts at the next level. Now he will look to develop the skill necessary to make an impact down the line in his college career.

Christian has high stakes experience after contributing to Port Neches Groves’ state championship victory over South Oak Cliff last season. Whether or not it is part of the recruiting criteria, playing for a title at any level could prove valuable down the road.

The offensive lineman’s highlight reel is impressive. The clips show Christian taking opponents out of the play. He will look to do more of that at the next level.

Christian ranks as the No. 30 interior offensive lineman in the country in 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Four-star California WR Marcus Harris includes Texas in Top 5 schools

The No. 1 WR in California named Texas one of his top five schools.

Texas is in the hunt for the best wide receiver in California. Four-star wideout Marcus Harris named the Longhorns one of his top five schools.

The Mater Dei talent continues Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s push to bring the best players from California to Austin. The recruiting strategy has helped the Longhorns capitalize on national brand power rather than rely solely on in-state players.

Harris is a jump ball target with the speed to separate from opposing defensive backs. He’s not afraid to use his frame to impose on opposition. He plays bigger than his 5-foot-11 and 180 pound measurements would indicate. Harris’ knack for high pointing the football and finding the end zone make him a good addition to his next team.

Harris appears to have an affinity for SEC football. He is set to choose between SEC powerhouses Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, a new SEC addition in Texas and a lone Big Ten program in Oregon.

Four-star RB Rickey Stewart commits to Texas

Texas recruiting is starting to pick up as another elite running back chooses the Longhorns.

The Texas Longhorns’ 2025 recruiting class is starting to pick up steam. The Longhorns added yet another elite running back after leading the way in recruiting at the position the last couple of seasons.

Running backs coach Tashard Choice earned a commitment from Chapel Hill (TX) running back Rickey Stewart on Saturday. He ranks as the No. 20 overall running back and No. 247 overall player in the 247Sports composite, but those rankings might too heavily weigh the smaller school competition Stewart played against.

Stewart saw offers from Alabama, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and Ole Miss among others after an impressive early start to his career. In his sophomore and junior seasons combined, Stewart ran for 5,117 yards, 68 touchdowns and around 10 yards per carry.

He would add another elite recruit to Texas running back coach Tashard Choice’s resume. Choice has brought his fair share of blue chippers to Austin including five-star back CJ Baxter and elite recruits in Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark.

Texas will look to build momentum off the strong recruiting start.

Texas lands commitment from Westlake K Spencer Barnett

Texas might have found its kicker of the future.

The Texas Longhorns earned a commitment from Austin Westlake kicker Spencer Barnett on Friday. It might be more significant than you would expect.

Barnett showed above average ability at the high school level. The Austin native has already booted a 59-yard field goal in his time at Westlake high school. What would be impressive for an NFL kicker is the case for the high school player.

There’s more to being a kicker than making long range kicks. Consistency in shorter field goals would prove more valuable over the course of a season. Nevertheless, Barnett’s power will be a useful tool on the football field.

As Texas heads to a more competitive conference, its margin for error will decrease. Having a top kicker becomes an even higher priority for the team. The Longhorns hope they have found their kicker of the future.

Texas will look for continued success on the recruiting trail over the summer.

Texas emerging as a top school for five-star WR Kaliq Lockett

Lockett will visit Texas this weekend and then has an official visit to Austin scheduled on June 21.

While five-star wide receiver Kaliq Lockett has yet to release a top schools list, one can assume Texas will be on it when the time comes. Continue reading “Texas emerging as a top school for five-star WR Kaliq Lockett”

Recruiting prediction entered for five-star OT Michael Fasusi to Texas

Texas could land yet another five-star offensive tackle in the upcoming class.

Texas could be trending to land another five-star offensive lineman as it continues to build into an SEC competitor. And not just any five-star, but one who could end up a Top 10 player when all is said and done.

Inside Texas’ Eric Nahlin predicts Texas to bring in Lewisville (TX) offensive tackle Michael Fasusi. And while several ratings updates could be on the way over the coming months, the massive tackle ranks highly in On3’s industry ranking.

Fasusi ranks as the No. 11 overall player, No. 2 offensive tackle and No. 3 player in Texas for the 2025 recruiting class. That places the tackle solidly in the five-star category. Should he choose the Longhorns he would join Kelvin Banks, Devon Campbell Jr. and Brandon Baker as elite linemen who took their talents to Austin.

Like with any position, Texas would do well to keep its best players in state. Albeit, the tackle position is likely one of the more important priorities for the team.

On3’s recruiting prediction machine (RPM) seems to view Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Florida as Texas’ top competition. The RPM gives Texas a 86.1% chance to be Fasusi’s college choice with Oklahoma (4.6%), Texas A&M (3.0%) and Florida (1.7%) trailing for now.

The Longhorns have fared well in recruiting offensive linemen since head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach Kyle Flood stepped foot on the Forty Acres. They’ll look to continue that trend in the 2025 recruiting class.

Texas receives RPM prediction for four-star RB Rickey Stewart Jr.

The Texas Longhorns trend for another big time running back.

The Texas Longhorns are trending to win out for another big-time player. Four-star running back Rickey Stewart Jr. was given a recruiting prediction machine nod (On3) from Inside Texas’ Justin Wells to Texas.

Stewart has been productive in the high school ranks. As a sophomore, the gifted runner ran for 2,262 yards and 18 touchdowns. He followed with 2,855 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns as a junior in 2023 for the Chapel Hill Bulldogs in Tyler, Texas.

The Longhorns’ track record with running backs is growing after building a track record of developing top running backs over the last few seasons. After sending eighth pick Bijan Robinson and fellow ball carrier Roschon Johnson to the NFL, Jonathon Brooks is set to be the next Texas back to head to the pros.

The on-field product has made waves with top recruits in past cycles. Top recruits Jaydon Blue, Cedric Baxter Jr., Tre Wisner, Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark headed to Austin to be a part of the loaded Texas running back room. Stewart could be the next.

Blue and Baxter have already made their mark in Austin; they combined for over 1,000 rushing yards last season. The two are set to be the focal point of the running back room in 2024.

The Texas running back room is set to be among the nation’s best for the foreseeable future. The Longhorns look to add Stewart to the running back room in the 2025 recruiting class.