Texas chasing nation's No. 1 recruiting class for a second straight year

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 be looking at potential flips until Signing Day and are one of the top few schools for elite four-star EDGE Jake Kreul, who is set to commit on Tuesday.

For the full class breakdown, scroll below:

Texas Longhorns commitments by position

Quarterback
Five-star Dia Bell, No. 4 NATL. (No. 1 QB)

Running back
Four-star Derrek Cooper, No. 37 NATL. (No. 2 RB)

Wide receiver
Four-star Chris Stewart, No. 251 NATL. (No. 45 WR)
Three-star Kohen Brown, No. 591 NATL. (No. 93 WR)

Offensive tackle
Three-star Max Wright, No. 428 NATL. (No. 34 OT)

Interior offensive linemen
Four-star John Turntine, No. 55 NATL. (No. 2 IOL)
Four-star Nicolas Robertson, No. 400 NATL. (No. 38 IOL)

Defensive line
Five-star James Johnson, No. 42 NATL. (No. 1 DL)
Four-star Vodney Cleveland, No. 142 NATL. (No. 16 DL)
Four-star Dylan Berymon, No. 208 NATL. (No. 22 DL)
Four-star Corey Wells, No. 270 NATL. (No. 31 DL)

EDGE
Five-star Richard Wesley, No. 19 NATL. (No. 3 EDGE)

Linebacker
Five-star Tyler Atkinson, No. 9 NATL. (No. 1 LB)
Four-star Kosi Okpala, No. 286 NATL. (No. 18 LB)

Cornerback
Four-star Samari Matthews, No. 104 NATL. (No. 14 CB)
Four-star Hayward Howard Jr., No. 339 NATL. (No. 32 CB)

Safety
Three-star Yaheim Riley, No. 1020 NATL. (No. 91 S)

Athlete
Four-star Jermaine Bishop Jr., No. 70 NATL. (No. 5 ATH)

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