Wide receiver Zerek Sidney is one of the top players at his position in the 2027 recruiting cycle, and he has no shortage of scholarship offers. Last Friday, he picked up a big one when he got a call from Texas wide receivers coach Chris Jackson.
“I was in class. My head coach gave me a number, told me to call it. He said it was Chris Jackson with the Longhorns,” Sidney said. “I was astonished when he told me to call. We had a really good call about Texas and gave me the offer. I was mind-blown when I got it. It was surreal.”
* Sidney has family in San Antonio so he’s familiar with the state of Texas and he has another interesting draw to the UT program.
“My mom grew up a Texas Longhorn fan so it’s ingrained in me,” Sidney said.
* Sidney was so excited about the Texas offer that he immediately set up a visit to get to Austin. He’ll be in town on Thursday to give the Texas program a closer look.
* Sidney said there’s a lot to like about the Texas program, including the location, the trajectory of the program under Steve Sarkisian and Sarkisian’s history of developing receivers.
“It’s really just everything about Texas. Being in the SEC, playing at the highest level, everything about Texas stands out to me,” Sidney said.
“I know they like to throw the ball. That’s exactly what I need. That’s what I love. They always have a high-powered offense. I feel like my play style fits great. Whether they line me in the slot or the outside, I feel like it just fits my play style.”
* Later this month, Sidney is scheduled to visit Arizona (March 22) and USC (March 29). Those two programs, in addition to Washington, are programs Sidney said are recruiting him aggressively and staffs with whom he has developed a strong relationship.
* The 6-0, 165-pound Sidney is the nation’s No. 13-ranked wide receiver prospect in the 2027 class and he checks in at No. 135 on the Rivals250.
“I feel like as a receiver, I feel like I can do it all,” Sidney said. “When the ball is in the air, I feel like I’m going to go get it. I feel like I have some of the top hands in the country. One thing I can improve on, I can improve on everything, but I can always improve on my speed.”
My thoughts: Sidney is a teammate of recent Texas offer, 2026 cornerback Camren Hamiel, who plans to visit Texas in April. If Texas could land Hamiel that would obviously help the Longhorns’ chances with Sidney but in talking to Sidney, I expect Texas to be a major factor in this one regardless if the coaches stay on him. Texas will need to continue to build relationships with Sidney and the people close to him, but he really does like UT’s offense, having family about an hour away from Austin is a plus and his mom following the Longhorns are factors that could work in Texas’ favor.
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