Has the amount of out of state recruiting put a sour taste about Texas in the minds of the Texas high school coaches causing them to somehow push recruits away from the university?
I haven’t picked up that sense at all. In talking to high school coaches in recent months, they all have very positive things to say about this UT staff. Steve Sarkisian has done a really good job of making the high school coaches feel welcomed and important, and he’s also extremely relatable.
It is always a balancing act to some degree though, and it’s not just high school coaches. Trainers or even 7v7 coaches can have a large hand in steering players to certain schools and when they feel their player isn’t being given a fair shot, or is possibly being recruited over via the portal, it can sometimes ruffle feathers. Something to file away.
Such, if you had to pick Y or N today, does Andrew Marsh end up a Longhorn?
Texas certainly has a shot with Katy Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh, but I’m not ready to call the Longhorns the outright leader with schools like Texas A&M and LSU (among others) very much in the mix. If I’m forced to pick right now, I’d probably go with the field over Texas.
Who are the top 2 recruits Texas should target at Defensive Tackle and DE?
If we’re talking realistic options, you’d have to put D.J. Sanders at the top of the defensive tackle list. After him it gets a little tricky but Kevin Oatis, out of Mississippi, is a really good player who has already visited Texas once, and he tells me he’ll be back again this spring and/or for an unofficial visit. You could throw Andrew Maddox on that list but he seems like a real longshot.
At defensive end, Texas already has one really good one committed in Lance Jackson. If we’re talking uncommitted guys, there aren’t any Colin Simmons-types that are out there for Texas this year, but landing guys like Kamauryn Morgan and Chad Woodfork would be a good start.
Who is this year’s whale on offense and defense?
Since KJ Lacey is already committed, give me offensive lineman Michael Fasusi on offense. A case could be made for running back Jordon Davison or a highly-ranked wide receiver like Kaliq Lockett, but I just think Fasusi is a truly elite talent, a near can’t miss.
On defense, there aren’t quite as many options but someone like Jonah Williams would certainly move the needle.
Who is the "must get" recruit for 2025?
As noted above, I love Fasusi, but to change things up I’ll go with Dakorien Moore for a couple of reasons. For one, he’s an elite talent that would come in and be an instant contributor for Texas. Secondly, it would help crush some of the early momentum LSU has established and probably give Texas a big shot in the arm.
Will Texas sign 25+ high school guys for 2025 class?
There are so many variables that go into class size nowadays that it’s pretty much impossible to predict. For instance, last year, people at Texas were pretty sure they’d take a full class of 25, but the Longhorns wound up signing only 22, and that was including a very late addition of Aaron Butler.
Attrition, recruiting momentum and the transfer portal have a say in how those numbers shake out but I would expect a class close to 25 after taking a “smaller” class last year.
Just do a complete breakdown of DT targets
And at the end I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we are recruiting there, what needs to be done going forward etc..
Brandon Brown – Committed and now Texas will have to fend off a bunch of other programs, including USC and the Florida schools. Brown will make a visit to UT in late March and already has an official visit set up as well.
Floyd Guidry – If Texas pushes for this one, the Longhorns should win out, but Kenny Baker is still feeling things out to some degree.
Kevin Oatis – He’s visited Texas once and plans to return this spring. I would assume Kenny Baker will try to make him a priority and maybe Baker’s ties to the Southeast can help out.
D.J. Sanders – He says he’s wide open. Texas is in the mix but probably has some ground to make up.
Chace Sims – Texas literally just offered him on Tuesday so we’ll kick the tires on this one.
Xavier Ukponu – He’ll take some visits so there’s work to be done, but there’s not a school I’d put above Texas right now.
Zion Williams – He’s a tough one to read. He likes Texas and has visited multiple times. This one wouldn’t surprise me at all, but I don’t have a great read on what Williams might do.
Bo Davis was a solid recruiter, but he wasn’t able to close on the truly elite players while at Texas. It’s hard to accurately gauge how UT is doing there right now because Baker is so new and really hasn’t even had a chance to meet some of these guys. I’m not sure what strategies need to be employed, but Texas does need to start recruiting interior defensive linemen at a higher level than it has been. You can’t count on hitting on lower-rated guys like T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy year after year.
Will Ra’Shaad Samples ever be an assistant coach here?
I’d certainly never rule it out, I just don’t see it happening any time soon. I’ve been a fan of Samples’ ever since covering him as a recruit back in the day. I expect he’ll continue to climb the coaching ranks and I expect he’ll be successful anywhere he lands.
Is Texas still recruiting Kamauryn Morgan?
I haven’t chatted with Kamauryn Morgan in a little more than a month (I’m hoping to see him at the Under Armour camp this weekend) but he was at UT’s junior day in late January, so I wouldn’t think anything has changed there. In fact, he got some one-on-one time with Sark on that visit. Morgan’s been a regular visitor to the Forty Acres and when I spoke to him after the junior day, he said Texas was for sure a top-five team for him.
Do the NFL combine results help with recruiting going forward?
I wouldn’t say the combine results are necessarily going to help in the way of getting some kid to commit to Texas or even suddenly start favoring the Longhorns, but any positive buzz is a good thing in recruiting and the Texas program just keeps stacking good moments on top of each other. What will carry more weight is the actual NFL Draft. If Texas has a bunch of guys get selected in April, including possibly three first-rounders, that’ll be a real selling point.
I haven’t picked up that sense at all. In talking to high school coaches in recent months, they all have very positive things to say about this UT staff. Steve Sarkisian has done a really good job of making the high school coaches feel welcomed and important, and he’s also extremely relatable.
It is always a balancing act to some degree though, and it’s not just high school coaches. Trainers or even 7v7 coaches can have a large hand in steering players to certain schools and when they feel their player isn’t being given a fair shot, or is possibly being recruited over via the portal, it can sometimes ruffle feathers. Something to file away.
Such, if you had to pick Y or N today, does Andrew Marsh end up a Longhorn?
Texas certainly has a shot with Katy Jordan wide receiver Andrew Marsh, but I’m not ready to call the Longhorns the outright leader with schools like Texas A&M and LSU (among others) very much in the mix. If I’m forced to pick right now, I’d probably go with the field over Texas.
Who are the top 2 recruits Texas should target at Defensive Tackle and DE?
If we’re talking realistic options, you’d have to put D.J. Sanders at the top of the defensive tackle list. After him it gets a little tricky but Kevin Oatis, out of Mississippi, is a really good player who has already visited Texas once, and he tells me he’ll be back again this spring and/or for an unofficial visit. You could throw Andrew Maddox on that list but he seems like a real longshot.
At defensive end, Texas already has one really good one committed in Lance Jackson. If we’re talking uncommitted guys, there aren’t any Colin Simmons-types that are out there for Texas this year, but landing guys like Kamauryn Morgan and Chad Woodfork would be a good start.
Who is this year’s whale on offense and defense?
Since KJ Lacey is already committed, give me offensive lineman Michael Fasusi on offense. A case could be made for running back Jordon Davison or a highly-ranked wide receiver like Kaliq Lockett, but I just think Fasusi is a truly elite talent, a near can’t miss.
On defense, there aren’t quite as many options but someone like Jonah Williams would certainly move the needle.
Who is the "must get" recruit for 2025?
As noted above, I love Fasusi, but to change things up I’ll go with Dakorien Moore for a couple of reasons. For one, he’s an elite talent that would come in and be an instant contributor for Texas. Secondly, it would help crush some of the early momentum LSU has established and probably give Texas a big shot in the arm.
Will Texas sign 25+ high school guys for 2025 class?
There are so many variables that go into class size nowadays that it’s pretty much impossible to predict. For instance, last year, people at Texas were pretty sure they’d take a full class of 25, but the Longhorns wound up signing only 22, and that was including a very late addition of Aaron Butler.
Attrition, recruiting momentum and the transfer portal have a say in how those numbers shake out but I would expect a class close to 25 after taking a “smaller” class last year.
Just do a complete breakdown of DT targets
And at the end I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we are recruiting there, what needs to be done going forward etc..
Brandon Brown – Committed and now Texas will have to fend off a bunch of other programs, including USC and the Florida schools. Brown will make a visit to UT in late March and already has an official visit set up as well.
Floyd Guidry – If Texas pushes for this one, the Longhorns should win out, but Kenny Baker is still feeling things out to some degree.
Kevin Oatis – He’s visited Texas once and plans to return this spring. I would assume Kenny Baker will try to make him a priority and maybe Baker’s ties to the Southeast can help out.
D.J. Sanders – He says he’s wide open. Texas is in the mix but probably has some ground to make up.
Chace Sims – Texas literally just offered him on Tuesday so we’ll kick the tires on this one.
Xavier Ukponu – He’ll take some visits so there’s work to be done, but there’s not a school I’d put above Texas right now.
Zion Williams – He’s a tough one to read. He likes Texas and has visited multiple times. This one wouldn’t surprise me at all, but I don’t have a great read on what Williams might do.
Bo Davis was a solid recruiter, but he wasn’t able to close on the truly elite players while at Texas. It’s hard to accurately gauge how UT is doing there right now because Baker is so new and really hasn’t even had a chance to meet some of these guys. I’m not sure what strategies need to be employed, but Texas does need to start recruiting interior defensive linemen at a higher level than it has been. You can’t count on hitting on lower-rated guys like T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy year after year.
Will Ra’Shaad Samples ever be an assistant coach here?
I’d certainly never rule it out, I just don’t see it happening any time soon. I’ve been a fan of Samples’ ever since covering him as a recruit back in the day. I expect he’ll continue to climb the coaching ranks and I expect he’ll be successful anywhere he lands.
Is Texas still recruiting Kamauryn Morgan?
I haven’t chatted with Kamauryn Morgan in a little more than a month (I’m hoping to see him at the Under Armour camp this weekend) but he was at UT’s junior day in late January, so I wouldn’t think anything has changed there. In fact, he got some one-on-one time with Sark on that visit. Morgan’s been a regular visitor to the Forty Acres and when I spoke to him after the junior day, he said Texas was for sure a top-five team for him.
Do the NFL combine results help with recruiting going forward?
I wouldn’t say the combine results are necessarily going to help in the way of getting some kid to commit to Texas or even suddenly start favoring the Longhorns, but any positive buzz is a good thing in recruiting and the Texas program just keeps stacking good moments on top of each other. What will carry more weight is the actual NFL Draft. If Texas has a bunch of guys get selected in April, including possibly three first-rounders, that’ll be a real selling point.
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