Steve Sarkisian and his staff have had a phenomenal start with their first full recruiting cycle for Texas.
There is always expected to be some sort of drop off in recruiting when a new coaching staff takes over, but Sarkisian’s staff is composed of a few elite recruiters that are doing a great job of attracting big name prospects to play in Austin.
In ESPN’s updated 2022 recruiting class rankings (subscription required), the Longhorns moved up from No. 11 to No. 4 in the nation. This puts Texas ahead of schools such as Oregon, Ohio State, and Georgia while being behind programs like Alabama, Notre Dame, and Penn State.
This is primarily due to Texas’ success on the recruiting trail recently, where they’ve received four defensive line commitments in the last 30 days, all of which are four-star prospects. Here is what ESPN had to say about Texas’ 2022 class thus far:
After guiding one of the most high-powered attacks in college football as offensive coordinator at Alabama, Steve Sarkisian is now assembling his first full class as head coach at Texas. Offense defines this group early on. The Longhorns went to California for their quarterback, Maalik Murphy, a prospect who has a big arm. The class also features some big-play offensive targets from in-state: top-20 wide receiver Armani Winfield and two top-10 RBs in Jamarion Miller and Blue, who can be an explosive runner with good ball skills. Defense is not being overlooked either, as the Longhorns added one of the top defensive back prospects in the state in Bryan Allen Jr., a top-five safety who is fluid with good instincts. The Longhorns ended the summer by adding four ESPN 300 defensive linemen, including Bledsoe, a big man from a smaller school that brings high upside with flexibility and agility. Aaron Bryant was an out-of-state pickup that can be a physical and stout presence in the trenches.
Texas is still in the mix for a few other highly rated recruits that are labeled must-get prospects to close out the cycle, but the Longhorns badly need to perform on the field better than what they displayed against Arkansas. The more success this team has, the better the chances of attracting more top talent to the Forty Acres.