Wide receiver Jaime Ffrench took a visit to Texas in April and came away impressed, so much so that late in the spring he was openly labeling the Longhorns as his leader. Ffrench has since backed off that stance and says it’s a more even playing field among the schools he’s considering, but he was back in Austin this weekend for an official visit and said it once again hit the mark.
“I really loved it. They really just showed me around even more. Now I’ve been out twice so I’m really loving that,” Ffrench said. “Just showed me why I need to come here to Austin, Texas for sure.”
A Rivals100 member, Ffrench was hosted by Texas freshman Ryan Wingo. That pairing makes sense since they both play the same position, they’re both out-of-state prospects considering Texas and Wingo was a highly-rated prospect much like Ffrench.
“It’s a very similar situation with him being far from home and being a national kid. He was just giving me some touch points, some points on why I need to come to Texas and stuff like that,” Ffrench said. “Really he was just showing me like a little brother role, taking me under his wing and showing me around, things like that.”
Ffrench is considering Texas, LSU, Miami, Tennessee and Ohio State. The one-time Alabama commitment doesn’t have a firm pecking order, but said the Longhorns have a solid chance of landing his commitment on August 30.
“They're definitely up right now,” Ffrench said. “But I would say everybody's on an even platform. With this whole July, me and my family are going to sit back and think about it and I’m going to make my decision on the 30th.”
And how does Ffrench ultimately separate one school from the pack? He said it’ll be a family decision to some degree.
“Just seeing who's most family-oriented,” Ffrench said. “Definitely where I see myself fitting in best and getting back with my family and seeing how they feel about it and we all agree on it.”
On the Texas visit, Ffrench said he was impressed with his interactions with the Texas coaches, most notably head coach Steve Sarkisian and wide receivers coach Chris Jackson.
“The culture here is outrageous so I won’t have to worry about that. And the family. Coach Sark has a family-oriented vibe,” Ffrench said. “He knows what he's doing with his Xs and Os for people like me.
“The culture, the environment, the people in the building, coach Sark, coach Jackson, the family love that my family feels, not just me (have Texas in the mix). We come here, we feel like we're loved for sure. It's genuine. It's not fake.”
Fellow wide receiver Kaliq Lockett was also in Austin this weekend for his official visit and the two have talked about playing together in college.
“It’s really a thought. Me and Kaliq have had those talks multiple times,” Ffrench said. “Me and Dakorien (Moore) have talked about it once or twice, but me and Kaliq for sure have had those talks.”
Another draw for Texas, Ffrench said, is the fact that the Longhorns have a loaded quarterback room with more help set to arrive in the way of highly-ranked recruits.
“That’s another thing about Sark. He knows Xs and Os but he’s always going to keep a gunslinger for sure,” Ffrench said. “Even Dia Bell in 2026. That just lets me know how serious he is about that position for sure.”
Ffrench is ranked No. 24 on the Rivals100.
