Texas hunting fourth top-5 recruiting class in past five years

Starting from the moment he arrived at Texas after the 2020 season, Steve Sarkisian has taken the program’s recruiting to new heights, including the No. 1 overall class in the Rivals Industry Football Team Rankings last year.

It was a class that included 5 five-stars and 18 blue-chippers in total, as the Longhorns beat out recruiting’s ‘Big 3’ of Georgia, Oregon, Alabama and Ohio State for top dog status. With that group in the fold, the Longhorns now feature one of the most talented rosters not only in the SEC, but in the country.

With that comes expectations both on the field and continuing to the recruiting trail. Repeating that No. 1 overall class looked like a potentially insurmountable challenge, but UT is again in the thick of it for the top spot. As of Monday, they sit at No. 5 in the team rankings but are less than a full point out of No. 1.

And that’s with only 21 commitments, tied for the third-fewest of any school currently in the top 10.

Five-stars headline another loaded list

June and July were particularly good months for the Longhorns, as they loaded up with 13 new pledges and five of the top six players in their classes.

On July 15, Grayson (Ga.) linebacker Tyler Atkinson chose the Longhorns over in-state Georgia on the Pat McAfee Show. Less than six hours later, Sarkisian took another one off of Kirby Smart, flipping Rivals five-star defensive lineman James Johnson. The latter had only been committed to UGA for 2 1/2 weeks.

Their hot streak continued on July 20 when they beat out the Bulldogs, as well as Miami and Florida State for elite running back Derrek Cooper out of Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.). His addition gives UT three of the top eight prospects in Florida this cycle, as they continue to make waves in the Sunshine State. Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) five-star quarterback Dia Bell is among that Florida trio and currently sits as the No. 1 QB this cycle. He, along with Atkinson, Johnson, Cooper and five-star EDGE give Texas five top-50 national commits Richard Wesley.

July also brought them the nation’s No. 2 interior lineman John Turntine, Huntersville (N.C.) William Amos Hough four-star cornerback Samari Matthews and Katy (Texas) Mayde Creek four-star linebacker Kosi Okpala, Rivals’ No. 10 player at his position.

For the most part, their class looks to be finished. However, they’ll have to battle a host of other programs to keep Cooper, Johnson, and others in the mix while looking at some of their own potential flip targets.

For the full class breakdown, scroll below:

Texas Longhorns commitments by position

Quarterback
Five-star Dia Bell, No. 5 NATL. (No. 2 QB)

Running back
Four-star Derrek Cooper, No. 38 NATL. (No. 2 RB)

Wide receiver
Four-star Chris Stewart, No. 254 NATL. (No. 43 WR)
Three-star Kohen Brown, No. 603 NATL. (No. 94 WR)

Offensive tackle
Three-star Max Wright, No. 434 NATL. (No. 35 OT)

Interior offensive linemen
Four-star John Turntine, No. 55 NATL. (No. 2 IOL)
Four-star Nicolas Robertson, No. 403 NATL. (No. 38 IOL)

Defensive line
Five-star James Johnson, No. 43 NATL. (No. 1 DL)
Four-star Vodney Cleveland, No. 184 NATL. (No. 18 DL)
Four-star Dylan Berymon, No. 206 NATL. (No. 22 DL)
Four-star Corey Wells, No. 269 NATL. (No. 31 DL)

EDGE
Five-star Richard Wesley, No. 10 NATL. (No. 2 EDGE)
Four-star Kosi Okpala, No. 283 NATL. (No. 30 EDGE)

Linebacker
Five-star Tyler Atkinson, No. 12 NATL. (No. 1 LB)

Cornerback
Four-star Samari Matthews, No. 108 NATL. (No. 14 CB)
Four-star Hayward Howard Jr., No. 343 NATL. (No. 34 CB)

Safety
Three-star Yaheim Riley, No. 1060 NATL. (No. 98 S)

Athlete
Four-star Jermaine Bishop Jr., No. 59 NATL. (No. 4 ATH)

Specialists
LS Trott O’Neal
P Mikey Bukauskas
K Jake Collett