Texas recruiting rundown with InsideTexas

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Year one under Steve Sarkisian has been a success so far for Texas. Despite a loss to Arkansas in the second week of the season, the Longhorns have built momentum on the field and on the recruiting trail.

One day after snagging it’s highest-rated recruit yet and two days before stepping onto the field at the Cotton Bowl, On3 caught up with Gerry Hamilton to talk about improving the offensive line, what recruits are saying about Sark’s first season and more.

Who is the most important target still on Texas’ recruiting board?

Gerry Hamilton: I’m gonna say it’s Evan Stewart, No. 4 in the On300. While Texas fans are thinking more offensive line — and that is certainly the biggest position of need remaining — Evan Stewart is an elite, offensive touchdown-scoring machine. He is the type of guy that helps take you from 10 to 12 wins because he puts touchdowns on the board. It would be a massive recruiting win. You’re talking about a kid with 2 million TikTok followers. A kid that’s gonna command high money in NIL. He’s a very popular kid with other recruits, along with being an elite talent at wide receiver. And if you watch Texas, while offensive line’s very important, receiver is almost as important. From a depth and frontline talent perspective, Texas has not had those game changing-level players on offense for a few years.

What is the most important position(s) still to fill and the main targets to fill those spots?

Gerry Hamilton: Texas getting Brenen Thompson (No. 40 in the On300) this week gives you a little leeway at wide receiver because he is electric fast. So the offensive line is the biggest position of need. The good thing for Texas is they’re in the hunt for five-star Devon Campbell, No. 19 in the On300. He’ll be at the Red River Showdown Saturday. They’re in on a number of other guys. Earnest Greene out of St. John Bosco — I think he’s No. 131 in the On300 — is going to be making an official visit next weekend to Texas on October 16, which is the huge recruiting weekend of the season for the Longhorns. Then you have Kam Dewberry (No. 121), an On300 offensive lineman, who’s going to be at the Red River Showdown. And Kelvin Banks (No. 27), Texas is still going after the Oregon commit. There’s a lot of guys on the board at offensive line, and a lot of really talented players. I think they have the numbers and the numbers they need to be recruiting, and the high level talent they need to be recruiting. It’s gonna come down to closing out two or three of those guys in this class.

Gerry Hamilton: I think that’s an interesting question. I think it all depends on how the rest of the season goes. If Texas beats Oklahoma Saturday, then all bets are off. They may fill all the slots because they’re gonna be working with a lot of momentum when you combine that with assuming Alabama pummels A&M. If Texas this weekend beat Oklahoma, gets to 5-1 and looks like they’re headed to the Big 12 championship in year one under Steve Sarkisian, and then A&M’s struggles continue, Texas is gonna have so much momentum. I think they’re gonna have a lot of top kids that they were close on in June and July start to come back around to them.

Who is the most important commitment in the 2022 class for Texas and why?

Gerry Hamilton: I’m going to go with the most recent one, and it’s not because he’s the most highly-rated guy. Brenen Thompson just committed from Spearman. This was a huge momentum recruiting win. They built the momentum with a three-game win streak after the really tough performance at Arkansas. Brenen Thompson’s one of the fastest players in America. He runs 10.38 in the 100. I expect him to run in the 10.2’s as a senior since he just had a bone spur removed that was giving him some issues. And sub 21 in the 200 I expect him to go to spring. This is a guy that Texas A&M, Jimbo Fisher coveted. This is a guy Clemson was trying to get to visit still even though he was saying he wasn’t going that far from home. Oregon, he visited there. And Oklahoma State I believe finished second to Texas on him at the end the day. Alabama was recruiting him. So Texas beat national competition for one of the fastest prospects in America. They absolutely need guys like that who are electric, (bring) game-changing speed, can score touchdowns. So I think Brendan Thompson’s the biggest to date. Now that doesn’t mean he’s going to be the biggest instant impact player in the class because he is a small-town guy. He’s kind of been a jack of all trades. He’s still got to develop. But from a recruiting perspective, from a momentum perspective, where Texas is that right now, that commitment went over very well with other kids.

What are recruits saying about Texas’ start to the season?

Gerry Hamilton: I think kids are pretty excited. It’s been over a decade since Texas have an aesthetically pleasing offense that was fun to watch for prospects, parents, high school coaches in Texas that are Texas fans. I think it’s starting to show what Steve Sarkisian can do offensively at Texas if he gets those right pieces. Some of those right pieces are starting to really listen to Texas and maybe leaning Texas’ way. I think the win over Texas Tech, the way it happened, scoring 70 points. Freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy looking really good this season to this point. And then the win at TCU, which had been a nemesis for Texas. I believe they lost seven of the last nine to Gary Patterson and the Horned Frogs. So Steve Sarkisian winning that game on the road in year one was big. I think the other thing is Bijan Robinson is now a star running back in college football. Xavier Worthy looks like he can be a star wide receiver. When you have star players that are identifiable players to prospects and they see these kids having great success at Texas and early, that matters in recruiting.

What will be the biggest recruiting surprise for Texas between now and the early signing period?

Gerry Hamilton: I think the biggest recruiting surprise would be If the No. 1 player in the country in 2023, Arch Manning, decided to make a commitment before Christmas or before Thanksgiving. I think Texas is in a real battle with Georgia and Alabama there. I think Ole Miss and Clemson maybe are on the peripheral a little bit. Arch is going to visit Texas unofficially October 16 weekend. I think that would be the one. We’ve talked about 2022. If Texas could win out for Arch Manning, it would be so similar to when Mack Brown won out for Chris Sims in 1999 recruiting class. It signaled to the nation that Texas is going to be back. Texas is now a legitimate threat again. If Arch Manning shut down his recruitment and Texas ended up beating out Georgia and Alabama and Clemson and Ole Miss for him, that would be the biggest thing that happened for Texas football recruiting probably since Vince Young signed in 2002.

Which coach has done the best job recruiting in the 2022 class?

Gerry Hamilton: I think to date, Bo Davis has done a great job. If you just look at the D line and Jeff Choate, that front seven recruiting defensively has been really good for Texas. You saw Jeff Banks within the Brennan Thompson recruitment. Jeff Banks is going to is the guy on Denver Harris (No. 12), on Harold Perkins (No. 8). I mean he’s the big-game hunter so to speak. When you look at that, I think Jeff Banks is going to be the guy that Texas fans are watching the most because of his reputation. He’s been in those battles in recruiting at Alabama late in December where you really have to go win a tough recruiting battle. He’s in on so many of those top targets remaining. I mean he’s helping out with the Devon Campbell. He’s helping out on some of those recruitments. And then he’s heading up some of those five-star recruitments. I think he’s the guy to watch but I think right now you have to give a little bit of a nod Bo Davis just because he was committed on the defensive line.