Tag: texas longhorns recruiting

Texas target Colton Vasek receives crystal ball predictions to Oklahoma

The Sooners are trending for Colton Vasek.

No question about it, Oklahoma recruiting is surging. After a slow start, it has made an impressive turnaround. Now it is trending for elite edge prospect Colton Vasek.

Vasek, a Texas legacy and Austin native, was long rumored to favor Oregon. Pac-12 instability might have changed those plans.

Recently, Texas seemed to be improving its chances to bring in the Austin Westlake edge rusher, but it appears the Sooners had a strong recruiting pitch this weekend.

Though their offensive recruiting is not as strong as in years past, Brent Venables appears to be building a defensive machine in Norman.

Nobody questions whether Venables can coach up a defensive line. He had some of the stronger fronts in college football at Clemson. Now it appears he will have the pieces to build around in Norman.

Should Vasek choose the Sooners, Texas will shift its focus to other big-time edge prospects. He would be the second significant loss of a 2023 class that has mostly gone Texas’ way.

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The fallout from Anthony Hill’s commitment to Texas A&M

Developing S’maje Burrell and Liona Lefau becomes even more critical to Texas’ success going forward.

The nation’s top linebacker chose the Texas A&M Aggies over the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. The loss was the first haymaker landed against Texas in the 2023 recruiting class.

Without a doubt, this is the most significant whiff for Texas in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

Prior to Hill’s commitment, Texas had for the most part won out on their main recruiting targets. Steve Sarkisian and company certainly coveted Langham Creek receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, but had already brought in three great receiving prospects at the time of his commitment.

As for Hill, Texas loses out on yet another elite linebacker prospect. Developing S’maje Burrell and Liona Lefau becomes even more critical to Texas’ success going forward.

Here are a few takeaways from Anthony Hill’s commitment to the Aggies.

Texas football and others have a big recruiting weekend in store

This weekend could make or break a number of recruitments.

Steve Sarkisian gets set for one of the bigger recruiting weekends of the offseason.

Texas likely only has around eight more open spots for commitments. While there is great confidence in what Texas can accomplish with on-campus visitors, there likely remains some curiosity of what is going on elsewhere.

David Hicks Jr., the top 10 talent from Katy, has long had an Oklahoma visit in his sights. Having brought in more defensive talent, this weekend could further improve Oklahoma’s chances to get the top defensive lineman.

Anthony Hill Jr. has a significant visit to College Station planned this weekend. With Hill likely soon deciding between Texas and Texas A&M the timing makes the visit even more consequential.

Texas will bring in its fair share of recruiting targets. This could be an opportunity for Arch Manning and company to help close the recruitment of a handful of key prospects.

Jordan Matthews, Markis Deal, Javien Toviano and others could all potentially visit Texas this weekend. A good weekend could improve their chances of a top three recruiting class.

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Recruiting losses that would be the biggest whiffs for Texas

Losing out on these players could hurt Texas’ recruiting ceiling.

The Texas Longhorns are in the mix for significant recruits. A handful of those are players Steve Sarkisian can ill afford to lose. Continue reading “Recruiting losses that would be the biggest whiffs for Texas”

FOX Sports’ Brady Quinn roasts Texas A&M recruiting

The Aggies will battle Texas for Javien Toviano and Anthony Hill.

Texas A&M is not recruiting as well as last offseason. Brady Quinn has taken note of that fact. Continue reading “FOX Sports’ Brady Quinn roasts Texas A&M recruiting”

Current commits, players hint Texas football could have good news on the way

Texas players and commits are pushing hard for some of their favorite targets.

There is palpable excitement coming from the Longhorns after a surprising victory in Payton Kirkland’s recruitment. Texas players and commits are pushing hard for some of their favorite targets remaining.

Kirkland tweeted at a few Longhorn targets. The first was Cedric Baxter, a fellow Florida product who is set to commit August 10.

Both Kirkland and former Arlington Martin linebacker Trevell Johnson expressed their preference to team up with another elite player, Javien Toviano.

With multiple players tweeting at Javien, one has to wonder if a decision is imminent. The Arlington Martin cornerback’s recruitment seems wide open, and it is difficult to know where he would like to play.

Toviano figures to be one of the team’s highest priorities, with good reason. The Arlington native paired with Texas commit Malik Muhammad could become one of the top duos in the nation.

Elsewhere, Hunter Osborne appears to be making an announcement soon.

With recent momentum, Kirkland might only be the tip of the iceberg. There are a number of players to watch over the next couple weeks.

Texas Football: The path to ten top 100 recruits this cycle

The sky is the limit for the Texas Longhorns in the 2023 recruiting class.

Texas is on a tear in recruiting, and currently set up to do significant damage at the very top.

Presently, the Longhorns have five top 100 recruits in the On3 consensus. Malik Muhammad (No. 56 overall) became the fifth member this past Wednesday.

Texas is in solid positioning for big time early decision makers at skill positions. Cedric Baxter Jr. (No. 46) and Jalen Hale (No. 73) may both be trending toward the Longhorns.

Texas has a strong chance to bring in Anthony Hill Jr. (No. 14), Javien Toviano (No. 33), and Markis Deal (No. 94) with their recent success in north Texas.

After those five come the long shots. David Hicks Jr. (No. 8), Duce Robinson (No. 18), Damon Wilson (No. 40), Tausili Akana (No. 78) and Jordan Hall (No. 88) are players still in the mix for Texas.

With Texas on good terms with Baxter, Hale, Hill, Toviano, and Deal, there’s a solid chance they finish with ten top 100 players. With 130 FBS teams vying for these players, such a finish would be an incredible feat.

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Examining Steve Sarkisian’s recruiting strategy

Steve Sarkisian is simply recruiting whoever he wants.

Steve Sarkisian is recruiting differently than any Texas coach I can remember. Not in results but in philosophy.

Mack Brown certainly can boast the greatest track record in Texas recruiting. Certainly, Fred Akers and Darrell Royal had their fair share of recruiting success.

Still, perhaps unlike ever before, Steve Sarkisian is leveraging the full power of the Texas brand on a national scale. He is targeting and winning with recruits that past coaches might have viewed as a poor investment of time.

Charlie Strong did not recruit his state well enough, perhaps in part due to an overemphasis on his recruiting ties to Florida. Tom Herman recruited Texas well, which was a proven, winning recruiting philosophy for Mack Brown.

Steve Sarkisian is simply recruiting whoever he wants. Here’s a look at what we have noticed from his recruiting strategy.

Texas has the high ground in recruiting battles right now

With every elite recruit they land, Texas’ pitch gets stronger and stronger.

The Texas Longhorns have a head start in the 2023 recruiting class, and it could be a deciding factor in head-to-head recruiting battles against Texas A&M. Continue reading “Texas has the high ground in recruiting battles right now”

Texas football has four-star RB Cedric Baxter Jr. on its mind

Cedric Baxter’s commitment date gets us nearly halfway to football season.

Texas fans are thinking of the next recruiting announcement that involves the Longhorns. It appears the recruiting staff has its sight set on an announcement too.

Texas Longhorns recruiting operations coordinator, Tyler Johnson, took to Twitter to let fans know she has August 10 on her mind.

That date is the day of Cedric Baxter’s commitment announcement. The Florida native is in consideration for the No. 1 running back ranking in the 2023 class.

Some anticipate Baxter could bring another player or two with him from the state of Florida. Adding another borderline five-star talent could have a snowball effect with some of the more contested recruiting battles in this cycle.

Texas will try to reel in the special running back before the start of the football season. More important than the rankings bump Texas could enjoy from his commitment, he would give Steve Sarkisian yet another impact player for the class of 2023.

Baxter is the No. 3 running back and No. 46 overall player in the On3 consensus.

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