Texas trending for top targets in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine
After back-to-back top-five recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023, Texas’ start to the 2024 class has been, well, slower. The Longhorns have just three commitments heading into the month of June, but that’s not exactly unusual. At this time a year ago, UT also had just three commitments and then went on a massive run in the months of June and July that all but locked them into a top-10 class.
Steve Sarkisian’s staff is big about pushing for summer or early fall commitments, and the Longhorns have had a lot of success in that regard during his tenure. While casual observers might look up and see Texas ranked No. 48 nationally in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, there is more than meets the eye.
The Longhorns are trending for a number of key targets heading into the month of June, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).
“Texas’ recruiting seems primed to pick up in June as official visit season heats up,” said On3 national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. “Guys like Kobe Black and Corian Gipson will be on campus, with the latter expected to make a commitment decision on the back end of June if not early July. I like where Texas sits with both of them on the On3 RPM.”
5-star CB Kobe Black
School: Waco (Texas) Connally
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 18
On3 RPM: Texas 89.1%, Oklahoma State 2.9%, Texas A&M 2.0%
The Skinny: The secondary, and cornerback in particular, is a key position of need for Texas this cycle. And there’s no more important one in the state of Texas than five-star Kobe Black. The Longhorns are battling a couple of in-state programs, along with Oklahoma State and Ohio State. He already has summer official visits locked in with the Longhorns and Buckeyes.
“Texas is a family atmosphere,” he told On3’s Sam Spiegelman earlier this month. “They’re building something. There’s a whole bunch of talent there and they’re being developed well, and that’s big for me. They want to move me around and play me at the STAR, at corner, and moving me around — that’s really catching my eye.”
4-star CB Selman Bridges
School: Temple (Texas) Lake Belton
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 44
On3 RPM: Texas 87.0%, TCU 4.5%, Arkansas 2.9%
The Skinny: Much like the aforementioned Black, Selman Bridges is about as big of a cornerback target as there is on Texas’ board this cycle. As a junior, he recorded 46 tackles, had six pass breakups and returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown for Temple Lake Belton.
He named his top nine schools earlier this month, but the feeling is that it will largely come down to TCU, Arkansas, Texas and potentially USC. He has OVs locked in with the former three for this summer.
“We’re locked in, me and Sark are locked in,” he recently told Spiegelman. “Coach Joseph and I are, too. Coach Joseph has also been out here talking to me and coaching me up. We sat down and watched some film and broke it down during my last visit, too, and that was good.”
4-star RB Jerrick Gibson
School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 45
On3 RPM: Texas 93.5%, Florida 2.0%, Georgia 1.3%
The Skinny: After landing five-star Cedric Baxter Jr. out of Florida last year, Texas RBs coach Tashard Choice is looking to do the same with Jerrick Gibson. The two have a longstanding relationship that goes back to Choice’s time at Georgia Tech, and Texas’ signing of Baxter doesn’t hurt their chances either.
Miami, Florida and a handful of others remain in the race, but it will take an exceptional turn of events for the Longhorns to miss out on Gibson at this point.
4-star WR Gekyle Baker
School: Brownsboro (Texas)
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 92
On3 RPM: Texas 64.2%, Oklahoma State 19.9%, Baylor 1.9%
The Skinny: The Longhorns loaded up at receiver in the 2023 cycle but are looking to do so again in 2024, and Gekyle Baker is one of their top targets on the board. The 6-foot-3, 170-pounder has been steadily rising up recruiting rankings over the past six months and is now tabbed as a top-100 prospect.
He’s been largely quiet on the recruiting trail this spring, but told InsideTexas in January that Texas has made a strong statement in his recruitment.
“The coaches and staff at Texas really care about getting you better and making sure your body is where it needs to be,” Baker said. “Coaches not caring about your skills, I mean they care about skills, but they want to help you improve your skills. It’s a nice place and I can see myself making big plays there. It was amazing. 10/10.”
4-star safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell
School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 148
On3 RPM: Texas 90.8%, TCU 1.5%, Ohio State 1.3%
The Skinny: Jordon Johnson-Rubell recently named his top five, a list that included Michigan, Ohio State, TCU, Texas and USC. He has official visits locked in to for all but TCU in June, as he’s a Fort Worth native and estimates he has been on campus more than a dozen times. Heading into the summer, it’s the Longhorns leading the pack though.
“I’ve seen Texas four times but I’ve seen Coach (Blake) Gideon at least 30 times so he’s always one of the coaches in my ear,” Johnson-Rubell recently told On3’s Chad Simmons. “They run the same scheme that we run at IMG so I love their scheme. They’re a winning program producing some of the top receivers over the last recent years. Guarding those types of guys at practice would make me better. Them going to the SEC is another big thing for me. They’re playing better competition playing in the SEC.”