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Texas football wants wins, so naturally turns its recruiting focus to finding winners

danny davis, austin american-statesman
·4 min read
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Wednesday was the traditional national signing day across the country, but the Texas Longhorns didn't announce any additions to its 2023 recruiting class.

Texas has time left to land the high school standouts it's still chasing, and Arizona tight end Duce Robinson and Red Oak safety Warren Roberson are reportedly in play. But as it stands, the 24 prep prospects who joined the Longhorns during the early signing period in December will make up Texas' newest class. Georgia wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon, Wake Forest cornerback Gavin Holmes and Stanford punter Ryan Sanborn also have transferred in this offseason.

Texas will end Wednesday where it began Wednesday, with the nation's No. 3 class on 247Sports' composite team rankings, trailing only Alabama's and Georgia's hauls. The Longhorns have secured a top-five class in four of the last six recruiting cycles.

“I think we have a great class,” Westlake defensive lineman Colton Vasek recently said.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian watches from the sidelines during the Longhorns' Alamo Bowl loss to Washington. The Longhorns have assembled the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, the fourth time out of the last five year that they have inked a top-five class. "We're bringing in a lot of players that are winners," Sarkisian said.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian watches from the sidelines during the Longhorns' Alamo Bowl loss to Washington. The Longhorns have assembled the No. 3 recruiting class in the country, the fourth time out of the last five year that they have inked a top-five class. "We're bringing in a lot of players that are winners," Sarkisian said.

As it usually does, Texas went after the best of the best. Four of the incoming freshmen are regarded as five-star prospects. Thirteen were four-stars.

More: Texas thinks it's found its future quarterback in New Orleans' Arch Manning

Texas recruited nationally and signed players out of California, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Jersey and Utah. Head coach Steve Sarkisian also convinced 14 in-state prospects to stay home.

Wanted: Winners (and Texas sure got some)

But geography and recruiting rankings weren’t the only things worth noting in the Class of 2023. Additionally, Sarkisian wanted to recruit winners.

“It was a huge part of my focus,” Sarkisian said in December. “I didn't necessarily make it known to the staff, but I think guys kind of caught on to it. I think there's something to be said about guys that know how to win.”

New Orleans quarterback Arch Manning was the No. 1 overall prospect in the country, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. The five-star recruit is already on campus as one of Texas' 14 early enrollees, meaning we should see him in action during spring football.
New Orleans quarterback Arch Manning was the No. 1 overall prospect in the country, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. The five-star recruit is already on campus as one of Texas' 14 early enrollees, meaning we should see him in action during spring football.

Four of the Longhorns' 24 recruits won a state championship in the state of Texas. Receiver Johntay Cook II and running back Tre Wisner played for a DeSoto team that trounced Vandegrift in the Class 6A Division II title game. Cornerback Malik Muhammad and edge rusher Billy Walton helped South Oak Cliff defend its Class 5A Division II championship.

​​Linebackers Tausili Akana (Utah) and Liona Lefau (Hawaii), defensive lineman Sydir Mitchell (New Jersey) and wide receiver DeAndre Moore (California) also won state championships. AndVasek, Anthony Hill, Spencer Shannon and Derek Williams came up short this past season but all won rings in previous seasons.

“We're bringing in a lot of players that are winners,” Sarkisian said.

Do high school wins, star ratings translate into college victories?

Now, does this matter? At the end of the day, high school wins aren’t counted in collegiate standings. Vince Young never won a state championship at Houston Madison, nor did Colt McCoy at Tuscola Jim Ned. The crown jewel of Texas' class — New Orleans Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning — was eliminated in the quarterfinals round of his state playoffs in Louisiana.

Sarkisian, though, argued that the addition of these high school champions will impact the culture at Texas.

“I think we've got a culture here that is starting to understand the importance of why we're here to win and the idea about being competitive in everything that we do,” Sarkisian said. “Now we're bringing in another influx of players that is driven and focused. My idea is that you surround yourself with like-minded people that are winners, that should raise the level of all of us to perform to a point of, man, we're about winning.”

More: Too early to recruit for 2024? Nah, as Texas is already off to a busy start for next year

In December, Muhammad was named the defensive MVP of the Class 5A Division II championship game after he returned an interception for the decisive score in South Oak Cliff’s 34-24 win over Port Neches-Groves. Cook and Wisner recorded 42- and 62-yard touchdown catches for DeSoto at AT&T Stadium.

"We're going to have nothing but success (at Texas),” Cook said after the game. "I'm going down there with my nose down, and I'm going to learn the playbook. When I get the opportunity to play, you know, I'm going to make plays. That's what I do."

Sarkisian’s philosophy of recruiting “winners” won’t end with the 2023 class. Texas already has three players committed for 2024. One of those is defensive back Jaden Allen, who had a team-high six tackles in December in Aledo’s 52-14 rout of College Station in the Class 5A Division I final.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas' Sarkisian says recruiting focus is shifting toward prep winners