Intending to get this published on Tuesday while driving across the country from North Carolina to Texas was a major flaw in my judgment. I had 90 percent of this complete but as I'm typing this from the Hampton Inn in Tyler, TX - We've made it to the motherland and I'm ready to head out for a couple of breakfast tacos - so please, drop a recommendation in the Austin area.
If you want to not only join the SEC but also win the SEC, you must hire someone who has succeeded in the SEC. Steve Sarkisian arrived in Austin in January of 2021. Over the previous 11 seasons with Mack Brown, Charlie Strong, and Tom Herman as head coaches, the University finished with 10+ wins just once, in 2018 under Tom Herman.
During those 11 years after the 2009 Championship Game loss, the Longhorns signed 11 5-star recruits and just five top-5 classes, three of which came in the proceeding years of the Championship appearance and each of the three under Mack Brown’s tutelage ...
Year: Final Rivals Rank
2021: 16th
2020: 14th
2019: 4th
2018: 4th
2017: 31st
2016: 11th
2015: 12th
2014: 20th
2013: 24th
2012: 2nd
2011: 3rd
2010: 3rd
Year: Prospect - Rating (Hometown)
2021: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE - 6.1 - 5 Star (Denton, TX)
2020: Bijan Robinson, RB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Tucson, AZ)
2019: Bru McCoy, ATH - 6.1 - 5 Star (Santa Ana, CA)
2018: Caden Sterns, DB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Cibolo, TX)
2016: Erick Fowler, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Manor, TX)
2015: Malik Jefferson, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Mesquite, TX)
2012: Malcom Brown, DT - 6.1 - 5 Star (Brenham, TX)
2012: Jonathan Gray, RB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Aledo, TX)
2011: Malcolm Brown, RB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Cibolo, TX)
2010: Jackson Jeffcoat, DE - 6.1 - 5 Star (Plano, TX)
2010: Jordan Hicks, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (West Chester, OH)
Under Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns have seven 5-star recruits and three consecutive top-5 classes.
Year: Final Rivals Rank
2024: 3rd
2023: 3rd
2022: 5th
Year: Prospect - Rating (Hometown)
2024: Colin Simmons, DE - 6.1 - 5 Star (Duncanville, TX)
2024: Brandon Baker, OL - 6.1 - 5 Star (Santa Ana, CA)
2024: Xavier Filsaime, DB - 6.1 - 5 Star (McKinney, TX)
2023: Arch Manning, QB - 6.1 - 5 Star (New Orleans, LA)
2023: Johntay Cook II, WR - 6.1 - 5 Star (Desoto, TX)
2023: Anthony Hill, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Denton, TX)
2022: Devon Campbell, OL - 6.1 - 5 Star (Arlington, TX)
During Coach Sarkisian’s three full recruiting cycles, the University has signed just five recruits with a 5.6 grade or lower on Rivals.com, and just one over the past two cycles.
For comparison, the 2021 class had five recruits rated 5.6 or lower. The 2020 class had three recruits rated 5.6 or lower. And the 2019 class had four recruits rated 5.6 or lower. That’s a significant difference that can directly be correlated to the strength in depth at the bottom of the roster.
Of those five recruits graded 5.6 or lower, two are kickers, one is a long snapper and two have since transferred away from Texas due to lack of playing time.
The Texas Pipelines are ___________?
Mack Era - Post 2009 (2010-2014)
By the end of the Mack Brown Era, the focal point of recruiting came from the state of Texas. Brown and his staff signed 85 percent of their recruits inside the state of Texas between 2010 and 2014, with 29 percent or 33 coming from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and 22 or 19.4 percent coming from the Houston area. One area that Mack was able to recruit that his successors haven't matched is East Texas. Between 2010 and 2014, Brown and his staff signed 17 recruits out of the eastern side of the state, while Charlie Strong, Tom Herman, and Steve Sarkisian signed a combined 22 recruits from 2015 through the 2025 recruiting class.
Out-of-state, Brown was rather lackadaisical as Texas traveled over the border just a handful of times with Louisiana being the only state with more than two commits in the five-year span.
Strong Era (2015-2017)
Charlie Strong picked up where Mack Brown left off in the state of Texas, nabbing 56 (74.6%) of his commitments in-state. Strong received the majority (22) from the Dallas / Fort Worth area (29.3%) and (15) from the Houston area (20%), inside the state of Texas the next populated area was Central Texas, where Texas received 9 commitments (12%).
Out-of-state, Strong received 10 of his remaining 19 commitments from Florida (5) and Louisiana (5). Inside states, New Orleans, LA - San Jose, CA - Scooba, MS and Miami, FL each had two commits each.
Herman Era (2018-2021)
During Tom Herman’s tenure, the Longhorns had a 68.4 percent commitment rate from the state of Texas, of those 65 recruits, the majority (24) were from the Houston area (25.2%), 18 were from the Dallas / Fort Worth area (18.9%), and 10.5% were from East Texas.
Out-of-state recruiting was predominantly minimal from a pipeline standpoint, Texas received eight commitments from California (8.4%), four from Louisiana, and just three from the state of Florida. Inside states, New Orleans, LA - El Dorado, KS, and Australia have 2 commits
However, he did not receive a commitment in Maryland or Mississippi, the two places Charlie Strong opened up.
Sarkisian Era (2022-2025)
Steve Sarkisian and company have made a strong focus on the DFW, with 29 of 86 commits residing from the DFW, 33.7 percent. Next in line is the HTX, with 10.3 percent or nine of 86. In total, Sarkisian has 56 commitments from Texas, the lowest of the discussed coaches at 64.3 percent.
Out of Texas recruiting has been sporadic outside of these three focus states - California with six, Florida with six, and Louisiana with seven commits. Inside states, Santa Ana, CA - Bradenton, FL - Orlando, FL - Phoenix, AZ and New Orleans, LA each have two commits.
Sarkisian opened up the door to Hawaii, Washington, New Jersey, Alabama, and Mississippi. Places Texas hadn’t been since _____. However, he has yet to receive a commitment from Iowa and Colorado, the two places Tom Herman opened up.
Final Statistics
Total Five-Stars
2010-2021: 11 in 12 cycles
2022-2024: 7 in 3 cycles
Total Top-5 Classes
2010-2021: 5
2022-2024: 3
Total Recruits Graded 5.6 and below
2019-2021: 12
2022-2024: 5
Total 10+ Win Seasons
2010-2021: 1
2022-2024: 1
How many Commitments by June 1st under Sark?
2022: 6
2023: 3
2024: 2
2025: 10
How many Commitments by August 1st under Sark?
2022: 12 (+6)
2023: 17 (+14)
2024: 13 (+11)
2025: 13 and counting…
Final Thought
Losing the stranglehold on the State of Texas, while focusing on out-of-state recruits can be directly correlated to the dip in top-end talent when Charlie Strong was the head coach. Texas dropped from 85 percent in-state to 74 percent in-state and received only two total five-star recruits overall due to Strong's focus. Tom Herman saw his Texas in-state commitment number drop to 68 percent, and a clear focus changed to Houston over Dallas. Herman was the first to bring Texas to California, nabbing eight commitments in four cycles, with the star player being Xavier Worthy.
Steve Sarkisian has watched that in-state number continue to drop, down to 64 percent himself. He has been very successful in Florida, California, and Louisiana, each pulling in 6+ recruits in the last three cycles and 2025. The biggest takeaway ... Sarkisian and company have put a big focus on the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A whopping 33 percent of commitments have come from DFW, the biggest among his predecessors, while 10 percent have come from Houston, the least among his predecessors.
If you want to not only join the SEC but also win the SEC, you must hire someone who has succeeded in the SEC. Steve Sarkisian arrived in Austin in January of 2021. Over the previous 11 seasons with Mack Brown, Charlie Strong, and Tom Herman as head coaches, the University finished with 10+ wins just once, in 2018 under Tom Herman.
During those 11 years after the 2009 Championship Game loss, the Longhorns signed 11 5-star recruits and just five top-5 classes, three of which came in the proceeding years of the Championship appearance and each of the three under Mack Brown’s tutelage ...
Year: Final Rivals Rank
2021: 16th
2020: 14th
2019: 4th
2018: 4th
2017: 31st
2016: 11th
2015: 12th
2014: 20th
2013: 24th
2012: 2nd
2011: 3rd
2010: 3rd
Year: Prospect - Rating (Hometown)
2021: Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE - 6.1 - 5 Star (Denton, TX)
2020: Bijan Robinson, RB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Tucson, AZ)
2019: Bru McCoy, ATH - 6.1 - 5 Star (Santa Ana, CA)
2018: Caden Sterns, DB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Cibolo, TX)
2016: Erick Fowler, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Manor, TX)
2015: Malik Jefferson, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Mesquite, TX)
2012: Malcom Brown, DT - 6.1 - 5 Star (Brenham, TX)
2012: Jonathan Gray, RB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Aledo, TX)
2011: Malcolm Brown, RB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Cibolo, TX)
2010: Jackson Jeffcoat, DE - 6.1 - 5 Star (Plano, TX)
2010: Jordan Hicks, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (West Chester, OH)
Under Steve Sarkisian, the Longhorns have seven 5-star recruits and three consecutive top-5 classes.
Year: Final Rivals Rank
2024: 3rd
2023: 3rd
2022: 5th
Year: Prospect - Rating (Hometown)
2024: Colin Simmons, DE - 6.1 - 5 Star (Duncanville, TX)
2024: Brandon Baker, OL - 6.1 - 5 Star (Santa Ana, CA)
2024: Xavier Filsaime, DB - 6.1 - 5 Star (McKinney, TX)
2023: Arch Manning, QB - 6.1 - 5 Star (New Orleans, LA)
2023: Johntay Cook II, WR - 6.1 - 5 Star (Desoto, TX)
2023: Anthony Hill, LB - 6.1 - 5 Star (Denton, TX)
2022: Devon Campbell, OL - 6.1 - 5 Star (Arlington, TX)
During Coach Sarkisian’s three full recruiting cycles, the University has signed just five recruits with a 5.6 grade or lower on Rivals.com, and just one over the past two cycles.
For comparison, the 2021 class had five recruits rated 5.6 or lower. The 2020 class had three recruits rated 5.6 or lower. And the 2019 class had four recruits rated 5.6 or lower. That’s a significant difference that can directly be correlated to the strength in depth at the bottom of the roster.
Of those five recruits graded 5.6 or lower, two are kickers, one is a long snapper and two have since transferred away from Texas due to lack of playing time.
| Xavion Brice | ATH | Arlington, TX | 6'2" | 170 | 3 | 5.6 | 12/15/21SIGNED | 2022 |
| Savion Red | WR | Grand Prairie, TX | 6'0" | 190 | 3 | 5.5 | 12/15/21SIGNED | 2022 |
| Will Stone | K | Austin, TX | 6'1" | 185 | 3 | 5.5 | 6/15/21SIGNED | 2022 |
| Michael Kern | K | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 6'3" | 170 | 2 | 5.4 | 5/2/23SIGNED | 2024 |
| Lance St. Louis | OL | Gilbert, AZ | 6'0" | 215 | 2 | 5.2 | 6/7/21SIGNED | 2022 |
The Texas Pipelines are ___________?
Mack Era - Post 2009 (2010-2014)
By the end of the Mack Brown Era, the focal point of recruiting came from the state of Texas. Brown and his staff signed 85 percent of their recruits inside the state of Texas between 2010 and 2014, with 29 percent or 33 coming from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and 22 or 19.4 percent coming from the Houston area. One area that Mack was able to recruit that his successors haven't matched is East Texas. Between 2010 and 2014, Brown and his staff signed 17 recruits out of the eastern side of the state, while Charlie Strong, Tom Herman, and Steve Sarkisian signed a combined 22 recruits from 2015 through the 2025 recruiting class.
Out-of-state, Brown was rather lackadaisical as Texas traveled over the border just a handful of times with Louisiana being the only state with more than two commits in the five-year span.
Strong Era (2015-2017)
Charlie Strong picked up where Mack Brown left off in the state of Texas, nabbing 56 (74.6%) of his commitments in-state. Strong received the majority (22) from the Dallas / Fort Worth area (29.3%) and (15) from the Houston area (20%), inside the state of Texas the next populated area was Central Texas, where Texas received 9 commitments (12%).
Out-of-state, Strong received 10 of his remaining 19 commitments from Florida (5) and Louisiana (5). Inside states, New Orleans, LA - San Jose, CA - Scooba, MS and Miami, FL each had two commits each.
Herman Era (2018-2021)
During Tom Herman’s tenure, the Longhorns had a 68.4 percent commitment rate from the state of Texas, of those 65 recruits, the majority (24) were from the Houston area (25.2%), 18 were from the Dallas / Fort Worth area (18.9%), and 10.5% were from East Texas.
Out-of-state recruiting was predominantly minimal from a pipeline standpoint, Texas received eight commitments from California (8.4%), four from Louisiana, and just three from the state of Florida. Inside states, New Orleans, LA - El Dorado, KS, and Australia have 2 commits
However, he did not receive a commitment in Maryland or Mississippi, the two places Charlie Strong opened up.
Sarkisian Era (2022-2025)
Steve Sarkisian and company have made a strong focus on the DFW, with 29 of 86 commits residing from the DFW, 33.7 percent. Next in line is the HTX, with 10.3 percent or nine of 86. In total, Sarkisian has 56 commitments from Texas, the lowest of the discussed coaches at 64.3 percent.
Out of Texas recruiting has been sporadic outside of these three focus states - California with six, Florida with six, and Louisiana with seven commits. Inside states, Santa Ana, CA - Bradenton, FL - Orlando, FL - Phoenix, AZ and New Orleans, LA each have two commits.
Sarkisian opened up the door to Hawaii, Washington, New Jersey, Alabama, and Mississippi. Places Texas hadn’t been since _____. However, he has yet to receive a commitment from Iowa and Colorado, the two places Tom Herman opened up.
Final Statistics
Total Five-Stars
2010-2021: 11 in 12 cycles
2022-2024: 7 in 3 cycles
Total Top-5 Classes
2010-2021: 5
2022-2024: 3
Total Recruits Graded 5.6 and below
2019-2021: 12
2022-2024: 5
Total 10+ Win Seasons
2010-2021: 1
2022-2024: 1
How many Commitments by June 1st under Sark?
2022: 6
2023: 3
2024: 2
2025: 10
How many Commitments by August 1st under Sark?
2022: 12 (+6)
2023: 17 (+14)
2024: 13 (+11)
2025: 13 and counting…
Final Thought
Losing the stranglehold on the State of Texas, while focusing on out-of-state recruits can be directly correlated to the dip in top-end talent when Charlie Strong was the head coach. Texas dropped from 85 percent in-state to 74 percent in-state and received only two total five-star recruits overall due to Strong's focus. Tom Herman saw his Texas in-state commitment number drop to 68 percent, and a clear focus changed to Houston over Dallas. Herman was the first to bring Texas to California, nabbing eight commitments in four cycles, with the star player being Xavier Worthy.
Steve Sarkisian has watched that in-state number continue to drop, down to 64 percent himself. He has been very successful in Florida, California, and Louisiana, each pulling in 6+ recruits in the last three cycles and 2025. The biggest takeaway ... Sarkisian and company have put a big focus on the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A whopping 33 percent of commitments have come from DFW, the biggest among his predecessors, while 10 percent have come from Houston, the least among his predecessors.
Last edited:
