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We getting everybody or no? If so, why not?
If we’re being honest, and objective, there’s still a lot of work to be done in this class and you can’t really put a grade on this cycle until we know what happens with players like Colin Simmons, Kobe Black, Ryan Wingo, etc.
As it stands right now, I’d give the class a passing grade, but just barely. Texas currently sits at No. 21 in the Rivals.com team recruiting rankings and while that number will go up, the talent pool from which to choose continues to dwindle as more players take their name off the board with summer commitments. If you look at the top-10 in the recruiting rankings, it’s the usual suspects that are dominating that list. Every team in the top 10 has more commitments than does Texas, and all but one (Penn State) have a higher average star ranking for their commitments.
Again, this will be another good class for Texas and if the right pieces fall into place it could push for another top-5 ranking, but the first stretch of the cycle has put the staff in a position where it absolutely has to finish with a bang.
What’s the deal with Baker and Lindsey ?
There’s still confidence in Austin with offensive lineman Brandon Baker, although it’s been hard to pin down exactly how his recruitment will unfold. Ohio State, Oregon and Georgia are all in the mix but if Baker decides this summer, that would seem to bode well for Texas. If he decides to take an official visit to Nebraska in the fall, that would push back his decision timeline. It would also open the door for an Oregon official visit, which could certainly change the course of his recruitment.
Things remain unchanged with TJ Lindsey. It’s expected to come down to either Auburn or Texas, with Auburn receiving a lot of buzz lately. A decision timeline is undecided.
Are we recruiting Justin Williams LB Oak Ridge ranked #1 in top 50 in Houston?
Texas recruited Justin Williams in that the Longhorns offered, but Williams never really gave Texas much consideration. He committed to Georgia on Monday so you can officially take him off the list.
Now that Gipson has gone the way of the DoDo bird, do we circle back on Bridges?
It’s a bit too early to say if the Longhorns will remain aggressive with Selman Bridges moving into the fall, but I would expect they’ll keep tabs on Bridges at the very least. For that matter, I’d also fully expect Texas to continue to aggressively recruit Corian Gipson despite his Clemson commitment.
Jason - how many of our current commitments do you think have a chance to have their ratings increased to high 4 star status or even higher with a good season? I ask because none of our commitments are in that category.
If I’m picking the guys that I think have the best chance of getting a rankings bump in the fall, I’ll go with the following: TE Jordan Washington, DT Alex January, RB Christian Clark, DB Santana Wilson, WR Freddie Dubose. None of them are likely climb to five-star status, but a case can be made that they’re all underrated in my opinion.
Why are the Horns pretty much out with most of the top end talent in the state this year? Seems like we weren't ever in the running with a whole lot more than usual. Also, is this year considered a down year for the state?
I asked Ketch in a thread one time why those two scenario's exist this recruiting cycle, and he replied "Weird Year".
Could you explain that a little further?
Weird year is probably the best way to describe but, but I’m beginning to wonder if this year is an anomaly or if it’s going to start being the norm, with more and more recruits leaving the state.
As to why Texas is having some struggles in the state, I have a few thoughts. First and foremost, the Longhorns have been a very mediocre program for as long as most current prospects have been alive, including in Sark’s first two years in Austin.
The recruiting world is so different now than it ever has been that I have to think NIL opportunities and even the transfer portal have something to do with it. Players (and families, coaches, trainers, etc.) are far more willing to travel to see programs all over the country, which helps open the door for players picking schools outside of the Lone Star State. You have entire 7-on-7 teams taking tours all around the country to see multiple campuses, and players seem to be taking more unofficial visits to out-of-state programs than I can ever remember. If a top-tier kid from the state of Texas wants to go to school in Florida or Georgia or anywhere else, he and his family know they’ll have the means while he’s in college to get the family out to see him on a regular basis due to NIL money. Also, if a kid leaves the state, he can always transfer back home very easily if things aren’t going well via the portal.
It’s just a weird time in recruiting and this year seems to different than most that I can remember. We’ll see if that pattern continues with the 2025 and 2026 classes, or if things stabilize a bit and more kids decide to stay in-state.
Did Texas pass on Myles Davis? Did he try to commit to Texas? Same questions re Bridges? Why didn’t Texas recruit Filsaime-early on he indicated he would like to hear from Texas?
Myles Davis committed while I was on vacation so I was a bit out of the loop with that one, but it was pretty interesting how it went down. Davis told OB that he was sticking to his August timeline and he even listed Texas as the leader, only to commit to Texas A&M the very next day. In talking to reporters who cover the Aggies, they weren’t necessarily shocked that Davis picked A&M, but the timing of the announcement caught them off-guard. Could that be because the Texas coaches told him they wanted to slow things down (maybe even after reading the update on OB?)? It’s possible, but I don’t know that for sure. Davis is an awesome kid though … one of my favorites in this cycle. I wish that young man nothing but the best.
If 2024 recruiting is a bit lower than the last 2 years, are we at least getting our needs met or are their gaping holes from upperclassmen leaving over next few years?
It’s a little bit of both. Quarterback and running back have obviously done a great job of filling their needs. Texas has one tight end commitment but I still think two would have been reasonable considering both tight end takes from last year’s class come with some question marks. There’s still work to be done on the offensive line, especially at tackle, and the staff really needs to find at least one more receiver in my opinion.
Finding an EDGE player is probably the biggest remaining need, especially if there’s a chance Barryn Sorrell is about to play his last season in Austin. There is some young talent on the roster, but you can never have enough of those players waiting in the wings. The staff may very well forego taking a linebacker this year so that position is pretty much a wash. Defensive back recruiting is off to a solid start, especially if we’re putting Aeryn Hampton in that group, but adding one or two more is still essential there as well.
Not that we can't close the gap, but have you ever seen Texas so poorly represented in the state of Texas top 100?
We can close the gap, right?
The honest answer … I can’t remember a time when Texas was so poorly represented with the top 100 players in the state. Currently, the Longhorns have eight players who are on the state top-100 list … not bad, but not good enough. On a positive note, all eight of the program’s in-state commitments are on the state top 100 list. But only three of those eight come from within the state’s top 50 prospects … not good enough. Both A&M and Oklahoma have more commitments from within the top 50 than does Texas. That absolutely should not be happening. Texas has ZERO commitments from the top 20 players in the state. Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, Florida and Texas A&M all have more than one. Again, that should never happen.
Can Texas close the gap? There aren’t a lot of legitimate highly-ranked in-state players that are still on the market, which makes closing on guys like Colin Simmons and Kobe Black imperative.
Current LSR top 25:
Which player is most likely to commit to Texas?
Which player currently committed to another team is most likely to flip to Texas?
Player from the top 25 of the current LSR that’s most likely to commit to Texas … Kobe Black.
Player most likely to flip … Corian Gipson (although he and his family seem pretty happy with his Clemson pick).
Is Landyn Cleveland a possibility now that Texas has lost Gipson, Bridges, and Davis?
I’ve always thought (for good reason) that Texas would land Landyn Cleveland if the staff pushed. I would expect the coaches will continue to focus on other prospects first, but I could see a scenario where the staff makes a late push for Cleveland if things don’t go well with other uncommitted targets (or flipping someone). I don’t think there’s anything happening there right now though.
General question
You now have NIL available, along with collectives, how can you lose a recruit to any school, save for 5-7 which have similar resources, when you have this at your disposal?
I am actually very curious, from what a recent UT recruit has told me, on the chats it's easy to see where you can be after signing on here. Makes me wonder why folks would consider smaller places save for legacies or perhaps a position where they can start and get better exposure.
It’s a legitimate concern and something I’ve thought about as well. How are the smaller schools supposed to compete with college football’s bluebloods when NIL opportunities are going to be so vastly different? It’s always been that way to some degree, but I would think NIL money will only widen the gap.
As you said, you’ll have situations like legacies, proximity or early playing time that will still tip the scales in small schools’ favor on occasion, but I’m not sure how a Baylor, SMU or TCU is supposed to keep up with a school like Texas, Texas A&M or some out-of-state powers with the truly elite programs.
The good news … that’s not really a problem that Texas will have to worry about.
If we are going to take 25 what are the next 10 commits we are focused in on.
1, Simmons
2. Black
3. Wingo
4. Hudson
5. Baker
6. McKinley
7. Umeozula
8. ?
9.?
10?
If we miss on any of the listed 7 then who??
I’d add Wardell Mack and TJ Lindsey to that list. Joshua Lair is still a strong possibility depending on how numbers look. Micah Hudson will remain a focus, although he feels like an extreme longshot right now. At offensive line, Texas continues to be in the race for DeAndre Carter, although he may be a tough pull out of Cali. Guys like Blake Ivy, Ory Williams and Bennett Warren are still on the radar. Nigel Smith is still set to visit Texas in September, but the Longhorns trail there. Danny Okoye is a player that Texas will continue to work on after he visited in June. Linebacker Solomon Williams is still available and the UT staff has told Tyanthony Smith that it won’t throw in the towel. Eli Bowen did visit UT in June but he’s a bit of a mystery at this point.
