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Five-star signee Ja’Tavion Sanders has understandably received the most hype from Texas’ 2021 recruiting class.
However, 247Sports noted two other true freshmen that will impact the 2021 college football season for the Longhorns. Chris Hummer put together 100 true freshmen to keep an eye on this upcoming season and 14 were from the Big 12 conference.
For Texas in particular, Hummer chose four-star safety JD Coffey and four-star wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Here’s why 247Sports chose these two specific players for the Longhorns this season:
JD Coffey, S, Texas:
Texas has a need for depth at safety, so much so that wide receiver Brenden Schooler is converting to the defensive side of the ball once again – he started his career as a safety at Oregon. As for Coffey, he’s the highest-ranked early enrollee for Texas and will have a chance to be in the two-deep from the jump. Coffey had a stellar senior season that saw him total 104 tackles, 10 TFLs and five interceptions in 11 games.
Another thing working to Coffey’s benefit? He’s picking up Texas’ new scheme at exactly the same time as everyone else. It’s an even playing field as he competes with B.J. Foster, Chris Adimora, Jerrin Thompson and Tyler Owens. Coffey drew second-team reps during the spring and should be in the rotation.
Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas:
Close your eyes, Michigan fans. Worthy initially inked with the Wolverines as part of the 2021 cycle, but eventually asked out of his NIL after a book’s worth of drama. Push that to the side, and Worthy is a tantalizing prospect. He has 10.55-second 100-meter dash speed in his arsenal, and he plays a position with plenty of uncertainty for the Longhorns. Worthy needs to put on some weight and get stronger. But he’s got the type of blow-the-top-off-a-defense playmaking that Steve Sarkisian can take advantage of right away.
The other Big 12 mentions were Oklahoma linebacker Clayton Smith and wide receiver Mario Williams, Iowa State defensive tackle Howard Brown, Oklahoma State wide receiver Blaine Green, TCU tight end D’Andre Rogers, West Virginia wide receiver Kaden Prather and offensive tackle Wyatt Milum, Kansas State linebacker Davonte Pritchard, Texas Tech wide receiver Jerand Bradley, Kansas running back Devin Neal, Baylor running back Elijah Bean and running back Jordan Jenkins.