Jump to content

Texas Recruiting Notes 2026: They Can't Keep Getting Away With This


Recommended Posts

Posted

 

 

- Trenton Henderson announcing July 2nd.

- Tom Loy thinks he bailed on USC because of distance (primarily);  if that's a factor, watch out for Fla.  Also, he's closer to Baton Rouge than he is Fla, so LSU's in it too ... and Texas's visit was "perfect."  So, yeah 🙂

 

Also ... lulz.  

 

The Gators 247 mod had a thread with the Trenton Henderson Fla/LSU/Texas Top-3 announcement.

 

The first 3 responses - 

 

image.thumb.png.3640fc212b922d9133150b4f3a741077.png

image.thumb.png.080a57b5519697e165e00c0985a359f9.png

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Posted
17 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Do we include the 2022 class which was kind of basically Sark's 1st class or guys who bailed due to Bo Davis leaving?

2022:
Evan Stewart(A&M)
Jamarion Miller(Bama)
Kobie Mckinzie(Oklahoma)
Armani Winfield(Baylor)
Phaizon Wilson(Grambling)
Eoghan Kerry(Colorado)
Champ Lewis(TCU)

2023:
Reuben Owens(A&M)
Jonah Wilson(Houston)
Jamel Johnson(TCU)
Dylan Spencer(Tech)

2024:
Aeryn Hampton(Bama)
Hunter Moddon(N/A)
Jaden Allen(Arkansas)

2025:
Joseph Mbatchou(Florida)
Brandon Brown(LSU)
John Mills(Washington)
Raycine Guillory(Utah)
Anthony Williams(TCU)

 

Pretty much a bunch of bread or guys that have talent but haven't done shit like Evan Stewart and Reuben Owens. 
 

Thanks for putting in the work on this. It looks like most of those guys were cut / had their offers pulled. I think Eoghan Kerry was one of the few guys that Deon cut but ended up staying at CU to get their degree (with the scholarship still in place). Hampton and Moddon from 2024 were basketcases. Still kinda sad we lost out on Jonah Wilson from 2023 - if I remember correctly, he opted to stay in Houston because he had a newborn. Although I now see that he transferred to A&M after last season so fuck him too, I guess. 

  • Like 1
Posted
6 hours ago, Post Oak said:

Who do we think are the 4 silents? (I think it's 4 but could be wrong)

Guervil

Carlton

 

Spoiler

Ohio-class

Los Angeles-class

Virginia-class

and Vanguard-class in the UK

 

 

  • Haha 2
Posted
1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

Would you say that greed clarifies? 

I would say it captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. 

We are about to have 3 additional 5-stars in the bag.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSaOv0gKmTBI2oYMz3JfbL

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted

Jeff Howe

Moderators

 5.1k

Moderators

Posted 1 minute ago

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas organization is prioritizing three areas when recruiting high school prospects and devoting resources for talent acquisition: quarterbacks, top-notch linemen who can protect the quarterback and blue-chip defenders who can disrupt opposing quarterbacks.

The approach was driven home on a weekend when Dia Bell (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) was named MVP of the 2025 Elite 11 competition.

The Longhorns added another body to what could evolve into a historic defensive line haul, reeling in Vodney Cleveland (Birmingham, Ala./Parker) while maintaining the lead in the race for Kendall Guervil (Fort Myers, Fla.).

Richard Wesley’s (Chatsworth, Calif./Sierra Canyon) surprise commitment was arguably a bigger recruiting boon than if Texas had landed Dre Quinn (Atlanta, Ga./Buford) last Thursday. The Longhorns are one of three teams left standing for Trenton Henderson (Pensacola, Fla./Catholic) and remain in the running for Temple’s Jamarion Carlton.

Texas also got the last in-person word with North Crowley offensive tackle John Turntine III ahead of his July 4 decision. Melissa’s Max Wright and Klein’s Nicholas Robertson were on campus with Turntine, who, along with Mansfield Lake Ridge’s Felix Ojo and Malakai Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kamehameha), is one of three elite offensive tackles Kyle Flood is aggressively pursuing.

It’s fun to listen to Sarkisian, Flood and other coaches on the staff tout the program’s desire to recruit “big humans.” The trope, however, is a way of life.

Sarkisian, general manager Brandon Harris, director of player personnel JM Jones and the rest of the organization’s approach to roster building in college football has the staying power needed to keep Texas in the national championship hunt for the foreseeable future. While the Longhorns won’t win every battle for coveted players who line up closest to the football, they’re winning enough of them to keep accelerating the program’s growth from Sarkisian’s forgettable 5-7 debut to producing an FBS-leading 23 NFL draft picks from clubs that won a combined 25 games and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals over the last two seasons.

Of those 23 draft choices, 10 of them manned one of the Sarkisian regime’s foundational positions: one quarterback (Quinn Ewers); one EDGE (Barryn Sorrell); four offensive linemen (Kelvin Banks Jr., Hayden Conner, Christian Jones and Cameron Williams); and four interior defensive linemen (Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat).

Bell is next in line behind Trey Owens and KJ Lacey to succeed Arch Manning. The offensive line has avoided heavy attrition under Flood and has benefited from evaluation wins with undervalued recruits, particularly what can be gleaned from Trevor Goosby's snaps last season and the early returns on guys like Nick Brooks and Nate Kibble.

Now, it's time for Kenny Baker and LaAllen Clark to set up their respective rooms for bright futures. Texas is rightfully taking advantage of a 2026 cycle chock-full of difference-making defensive linemen, building the kind of roster that won't need five tackles from the portal to avoid massive gaps in the talent pipeline.

Missing out on Carthage's KJ Edwards was a significant loss, especially considering how much Sarkisian values well-rounded running backs in his offense. The battles for Jalen Lott and Kaydon Finley could end with Texas losing to out-of-state competition (Oregon or USC for Lott and Notre Dame for Finley), which wouldn't be ideal scenarios for recruits with strong family ties to the Forty Acres.

Still, since NIL resources aren’t limitless, the Longhorns would rather do what it takes to win line-of-scrimmage recruitments and, if necessary, snag as-needed skill talent from the transfer portal. It's more feasible to go into the portal and come out with Matthew Golden or Adonai Mitchell as opposed to using the significant capital it would take to secure a player capable of immediately impacting the trenches, assuming those types of players are available.

There’s no wrong way to build a winning program. Nevertheless, it’s hard to argue against Sarkisian’s plan to keep Texas in the top tier of annual contenders to win the SEC and the CFP.

  • Hook 'Em 7
Posted

Gerry Hamilton

 

Afternoon recruiting notes 

A few afternoon nuggets. 

Defensive line recruiting …

OTF believes Texas remains in a positive spot for 4-star++ DL’s Damari Simeon and Kendall Guervil. 

Georgia went into the Texas visit ahead of the Longhorns, Florida and Miami for 4-star++ James Johnson. This one is probably 55-45 Georgia, but not a done deal yet for the Bulldogs. 

Offensive line recruiting …

Confidence remains in OTF 5-star OT John Turntine and OTF 4-star++ Felix Ojo. Michigan appears to be the main comp for Texas with Turntine. Stanford and Texas A&M have less confidence. 

Ojo remains a Texas, Ohio State and maybe Texas Tech race. Parents and far from home is the potential issue for the Buckeyes. 

Malakai Lee remains a likely Michigan vs Texas decision. Georgia hasn’t thrown in the towel yet. 

OTF doesn’t expect Zaden Krempin in the Texas class. 

  • Hook 'Em 5
Posted
6 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

image.thumb.png.9709ed6dd138375f5f4d4f8fc746ade4.png

 

There is why they told Browne to hold off for a few weeks, yeah?

I'd say definitely.  Heze Kent and Prothro both announce on the 12th.

Posted
5 hours ago, satyanash said:

1SAP2gQ.thumb.png.c6fa4d88097889e5962c1553980c6ed8.png

 

HAHAHA HOLY SHIT, there's a blast from the past! I remember making this, and I'm pretty sure it was in OmniGraffle, back when I used Macs at home. Which means my source for this is long, long gone.

 

4 hours ago, closetojumping said:

"I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque."

What exactly does he "know"? Is your friend Kevin Trudeau? Jason Higdon? Gotch Yarbrough?

When and where did this originate? I missed it, and it is fucking awesome.

 

Raise Hand GIF by Nick Jonas

I'd have to dig deep into archives, probably long lost, to find the "when" tho. I'm pretty sure it was back on Shaggy. Hell, might've even been on Orangebloods.

 

1 hour ago, Fondren & Main said:

Those idiots must not have seen Wall Street.

Michael Douglas High Quality GIF

 

True story: The speech, these lines, were lifted nearly verbatim from a speech T. Boone Pickens gave to the Amarillo Rotary Club. My Dad was there, witnessed it, and then had the worst deja vu ever when the went to see this movie.

  • Hook 'Em 9
Posted
2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

There’s a similar thread on the 247 Georgia board where they’re whining about Texas doing “illegal” things with money and not staying within the NIL “cap”. It’s a delicious read. I’d post it, but I don’t care enough about the rest of you people right now to put in the work. 

h3hGwa.gif

  • Haha 4
Posted
1 hour ago, BurntOrange&White said:

OTF doesn’t expect Zaden Krempin in the Texas class. 

Shit. OK, whose turn is it to make the joke? Are we doing a rotation system?

  • Haha 3
Posted

Just watched James Johnson's highlights and yeah, he'd be a good get. It's hard to watch linemen on the shitty high school video from 30,000 feet away, but as soon as the play starts you know exactly where he lined up because the offensive lineman nearest him is going backward.

Posted
9 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

It’s saying that the recruit liked someone else (aggy) better, not that we liked another recruit better. 

I choose to believe we end up with someone better than Krempin despite my lack of basic reading comprehension.

Posted
2 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Jeff Howe

Moderators

 5.1k

Moderators

Posted 1 minute ago

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas organization is prioritizing three areas when recruiting high school prospects and devoting resources for talent acquisition: quarterbacks, top-notch linemen who can protect the quarterback and blue-chip defenders who can disrupt opposing quarterbacks.

 

I don't know if Howe got his first sentence on Sark's talent acquisition strategy from someone inside the program, or from just watching recruiting unfold that way like the rest of us.  However it went, I think that plan makes a ton of sense from a roster building perspective.  We've been told that WR under Sark requires tons of mental bandwidth, but I've watched transfers come in and immediately kill it the last couple seasons.  Running backs are everywhere during portal season.  I want Texas to win every big recruitment like I'm sure we all do, but I really like the LOS wins and having the QB nailed down two years out.  

  • Hook 'Em 2
  • Like 1
Posted
2 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Jeff Howe

Moderators

 5.1k

Moderators

Posted 1 minute ago

Steve Sarkisian’s Texas organization is prioritizing three areas when recruiting high school prospects and devoting resources for talent acquisition: quarterbacks, top-notch linemen who can protect the quarterback and blue-chip defenders who can disrupt opposing quarterbacks.

The approach was driven home on a weekend when Dia Bell (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage) was named MVP of the 2025 Elite 11 competition.

The Longhorns added another body to what could evolve into a historic defensive line haul, reeling in Vodney Cleveland (Birmingham, Ala./Parker) while maintaining the lead in the race for Kendall Guervil (Fort Myers, Fla.).

Richard Wesley’s (Chatsworth, Calif./Sierra Canyon) surprise commitment was arguably a bigger recruiting boon than if Texas had landed Dre Quinn (Atlanta, Ga./Buford) last Thursday. The Longhorns are one of three teams left standing for Trenton Henderson (Pensacola, Fla./Catholic) and remain in the running for Temple’s Jamarion Carlton.

Texas also got the last in-person word with North Crowley offensive tackle John Turntine III ahead of his July 4 decision. Melissa’s Max Wright and Klein’s Nicholas Robertson were on campus with Turntine, who, along with Mansfield Lake Ridge’s Felix Ojo and Malakai Lee (Honolulu, Hawaii/Kamehameha), is one of three elite offensive tackles Kyle Flood is aggressively pursuing.

It’s fun to listen to Sarkisian, Flood and other coaches on the staff tout the program’s desire to recruit “big humans.” The trope, however, is a way of life.

Sarkisian, general manager Brandon Harris, director of player personnel JM Jones and the rest of the organization’s approach to roster building in college football has the staying power needed to keep Texas in the national championship hunt for the foreseeable future. While the Longhorns won’t win every battle for coveted players who line up closest to the football, they’re winning enough of them to keep accelerating the program’s growth from Sarkisian’s forgettable 5-7 debut to producing an FBS-leading 23 NFL draft picks from clubs that won a combined 25 games and reached the College Football Playoff semifinals over the last two seasons.

Of those 23 draft choices, 10 of them manned one of the Sarkisian regime’s foundational positions: one quarterback (Quinn Ewers); one EDGE (Barryn Sorrell); four offensive linemen (Kelvin Banks Jr., Hayden Conner, Christian Jones and Cameron Williams); and four interior defensive linemen (Vernon Broughton, Alfred Collins, Byron Murphy II and T’Vondre Sweat).

Bell is next in line behind Trey Owens and KJ Lacey to succeed Arch Manning. The offensive line has avoided heavy attrition under Flood and has benefited from evaluation wins with undervalued recruits, particularly what can be gleaned from Trevor Goosby's snaps last season and the early returns on guys like Nick Brooks and Nate Kibble.

Now, it's time for Kenny Baker and LaAllen Clark to set up their respective rooms for bright futures. Texas is rightfully taking advantage of a 2026 cycle chock-full of difference-making defensive linemen, building the kind of roster that won't need five tackles from the portal to avoid massive gaps in the talent pipeline.

Missing out on Carthage's KJ Edwards was a significant loss, especially considering how much Sarkisian values well-rounded running backs in his offense. The battles for Jalen Lott and Kaydon Finley could end with Texas losing to out-of-state competition (Oregon or USC for Lott and Notre Dame for Finley), which wouldn't be ideal scenarios for recruits with strong family ties to the Forty Acres.

Still, since NIL resources aren’t limitless, the Longhorns would rather do what it takes to win line-of-scrimmage recruitments and, if necessary, snag as-needed skill talent from the transfer portal. It's more feasible to go into the portal and come out with Matthew Golden or Adonai Mitchell as opposed to using the significant capital it would take to secure a player capable of immediately impacting the trenches, assuming those types of players are available.

There’s no wrong way to build a winning program. Nevertheless, it’s hard to argue against Sarkisian’s plan to keep Texas in the top tier of annual contenders to win the SEC and the CFP.

Makes sense to me. There's so many athletic receivers in the state every year. Might as well take advantage of it and dedicate resources to positions that don't have as much abundance.

Posted
1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

It’s saying that the recruit liked someone else (aggy) better, not that we liked another recruit better. 

The poster said “somewhere”…Bobby replied “someone”.  Maybe I am reading too much into to this, but who knows. 

  • Hook 'Em 3
  • Haha 2
Posted
1 minute ago, closetojumping said:

Don’t make it harder than it has to be. ATM took it to ludicrous speed and Texas had no interest in escalating to plaid. 

Film Festival GIF by Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

  • Haha 9
Posted
4 hours ago, Blackcat00 said:

The NFL draft the past two seasons disgrees you swamp rat dumbfuck. 

The NFL is the destination of the great exodus in a few years. He likened it to aggy because that’s what they told him happened there.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...