Tag: texas longhorns recruiting

Texas continues to trend for four-star WR DeAndre Moore Jr.

Moore is the No. 81 overall player and No. 14 WR in the On3 consensus.

The Alabama Crimson Tide dealt Texas a tough loss on the recruiting trail this week. Nick Saban won out for talented Longview wide receiver Jalen Hale.

It appears it only took the Longhorns a couple of days to get over the loss.

Steve Sarkisian and company are trending for a big time wide receiver in the 2023 class. Current Louisville commit DeAndre Moore Jr. appears to be keeping his options open, and Texas is squarely in the mix.

Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas entered a prediction in favor of the Longhorns on Thursday.

The elite receiver hails from St. John Bosco, a California private school you have probably heard if you follow recruiting closely. A win would be huge for Sarkisian as he tries to build a pipeline from California to Texas in recruiting.

Here is what On3 Sports had to say about Moore.

Has strong long speed, running a wind-legal 10.90 in the 100 meters as a junior. … Uses his burst to quickly get upfield after the catch. Shows good contact balance with the ability to bounce out of and break tackles at the second level.

Moore is the No. 81 overall player and No. 14 wide receiver in the On3 consensus.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Texas commit Arch Manning draws another elite comparison

The hype surrounding Arch Manning continues.

The hype surrounding Arch Manning continues. One publication is comparing him to a former Indianapolis Colts quarterback, but not the one you might expect.

On3 Sports is finding similarities between Manning and former Houston area standout Andrew Luck.

Both quarterbacks share a few things in common. They each possess a strong arm, high football IQ and underrated athleticism.

Manning hopes to accomplish some of the goals Andrew Luck reached at the college and professional level. Luck elevated Stanford from mediocrity to the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl in his time at Stanford.

Afterward, Luck was selected as the No. 1 overall pick to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2012 NFL Draft. While there, Luck led the Colts as far as the AFC Championship before retiring.

Winning over Arch Manning heals the wounds of past quarterback misses for Texas. Fans watched as quarterbacks their team undervalued excelled elsewhere. Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston, Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III were a few of Mack Brown’s biggest quarterback misses.

If Manning can duplicate Luck’s success, Texas could have a strong start as a new member of the SEC.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[pickup_prop id=”25687″]

Texas Football: Is Cedric Baxter the beginning of a burnt orange raid on Florida?

Cedric Baxter and Payton Kirkland may not be the only elite Florida players that Texas wins.

Steve Sarkisian is recruiting Florida as well as Charlie Strong did, if not better. He’s just doing so much more efficiently.

It is easy to see what coaches like about football in that state. Florida has a reputation for being in the same tier as California and Texas for producing the best high school prospects. Albeit, the top football state on the East Coast hasn’t always been a winning battleground for Texas, until now.

In the span of about a month, Sarkisian has landed two of Texas’ top four recruits from Florida since 2010. According to the first Florida commitment of the class, there could be more on the way.

Four-star offensive lineman Payton Kirkland has his sights set on elite edge rusher Damon Wilson. Wilson, a five-star player from the Sunshine State, seemed like a pipe dream not long ago. With the growing connections to Texas within Florida, Wilson might be a realistic possibility for the Longhorns.

Here is a list of Florida prospects Texas has a chance to sign in the 2023 recruiting class.

Texas is building a juggernaut at running back

Texas aims to continue leveraging its national brand.

The Texas Longhorns presently have one of the best backfields in the country. Their already strong running back depth could get even deeper today. Continue reading “Texas is building a juggernaut at running back”

Texas football can count on relationships with remaining recruiting targets

Steve Sarkisian can put faith in relationships to complete the 2023 recruiting class.

Steve Sarkisian can bank on relationships to win over the rest of his 2023 recruiting class. That strategy has worked so far.

The most cliche phrase fans believe is unique to their program is, “our coach is winning with relationships.”

For the most part, every coach is winning over recruits with relationships. Nevertheless, though it’s not unique to Steve Sarkisian, Brent Venables or any other coach, it is a critical piece of any recruitment.

A number of the Longhorns commits are strengthening the Texas bond with remaining targets.

Payton Kirkland, who may have been won over by Cedric Baxter, is pushing for fellow Florida native Damon Wilson through Twitter. Liona Lefau is drawing on his friendship with Tausili Akana in hopes the talented edge rusher will join him in Austin. Undoubtedly, others are communicating with remaining targets.

Texas is not the only program with strong bonds with the players they are pursuing, but those bonds are the reason Texas could win with the above players.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Texas football looks to get selective with 2023 recruiting class

With around seven spots left in the 2023 recruiting class, Texas can and should swing for the fence.

The Texas Longhorns head into the 2022 season with a strong foundation for their upcoming recruiting class. Presently, they sit at No. 5 in the On3 consensus class rankings with 21 commits.

With an already impressive class, Steve Sarkisian’s staff will look to add the most impactful players available.

Three Texas targets have decision dates set over the next four weeks. Cedric Baxter Jr will announce his commitment August 10, while Jordan Matthews will decide on August 15.

Texas also awaits the commitment of Jalen Hale, as they battle Alabama and Texas A&M for the elite wide receiver.

Outside of those three, there are recruitments with less certainty for Texas.

Elite corner Javien Toviano and game-changing edges Tausili Akana and Damon Wilson are a couple long-shots that could decide in Sarkisian’s favor.

Let’s look at a few players to which Texas will allocate time.

Texas target Derion Gullette set to announce college decision this afternoon

August 5 is here and Texas target Derion Gullette is set to make a big decision at 3 p.m. CT.

August 5 is here and one of Texas’ top targets, four-star edge Derion Gullette, is set to make a big decision at 3 p.m. CT. Continue reading “Texas target Derion Gullette set to announce college decision this afternoon”

Texas Football: Updated recruiting predictions for upcoming decisions

Three Texas targets are set to make decisions very soon.

The Texas Longhorns are shifting their focus to fall camp, but a number of their top recruiting targets are set to make decisions soon. Continue reading “Texas Football: Updated recruiting predictions for upcoming decisions”

Four-star Hunter Osborne chooses Alabama over Texas and others

After losing out on Hunter Osborne, let’s look at a few battles Texas could win.

Hunter Osborne is headed to Tuscaloosa, AL. He won’t have to drive very far to get there. The talented defensive lineman from the state of Alabama chose the Crimson Tide over Texas, Clemson, Tennessee and others.

Osborne momentarily flirted with the idea of coming to Texas, but after receiving the Alabama offer he longed to receive, he chose his home state team.

Texas hoped his ties with former teammate Justice Finkley might win him over, but ultimately the 6-foot-4 250-pound lineman chose to stay home.

Osborne is the No. 12 defensive lineman and No. 113 overall player in the nation.

With a number of players set to commit soon, let’s look at a few potentially imminent battles in which Texas could win.

How recent recruiting losses impact Steve Sarkisian’s two-year strategy

Recent losses on the recruiting trail may open up the recruiting strategy to changes.

Texas has had a very strong run on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class, but had significant losses in recent weeks.

Anthony Hill and Colton Vasek were among what I would call my eight biggest potential recruiting whiffs last week. It appears the two elite prospects are taking their talents to College Station and Norman, respectively.

The losses are significant because of Texas’ struggle to get competent linebacker play and consistent pressure from its pass rush. The Longhorns will continue their 13-year search for an elite pass rush.

Steve Sarkisian gave a glimpse into a potential shift in recruiting philosophy, letting offensive lineman TJ Shanahan and safety Mikal Harrison-Pilot know they are among the Longhorns’ top priorities. Though the class is nearly full on the offensive line and at receiver, Texas may be pushing edge rush recruiting to next season’s top priority.

Derion Gullette is a must-get for this class after Vasek and Braylan Shelby head in different directions. However, the odds are not great for bringing in other edge rushers this year.

In the meantime, Bo Davis and company will need to develop their strong defensive line haul from last season, in addition to talented South Oak Cliff edge prospect Billy Walton.

[pickup_prop id=”24704″]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]