Texas Longhorns recruiting went coast-to-coast in 2023
Texas went coast-to-coast in its pursuit of talent in the 2023 cycle. From sea to shining sea, the UT staff put in some mileage to secure another top recruiting class.
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NEW JERSEY
Thanks to former Rutgers head coach and current Texas offensive coordinator Kyle Flood, the Longhorns went after some of the top prospects in the Garden State. Texas offered Sydir Mitchell, Chase Bisontis, and Jayden Bonsu, three of New Jersey’s top four prospects.
Texas gained traction with Mitchell and Bonsu. Mitchell visited on June 17, and Bonsu was scheduled to see Austin the following week after a trip to Ohio State. He never made it to the Lone Star State and eventually picked the Buckeyes.
Mitchell committed to the Longhorns following his visits to Texas A&M, Miami, Georgia, and Texas.
FLORIDA
The Texas staff headed southeast to land two of Florida’s best prospects in Cedric Baxter and Payton Kirkland.
Texas beat a dozen schools for Kirkland and most of the nation for Baxter. The Longhorns tried to make inroads with Jalen Brown, Damon Wilson, Makari Vickers but to no avail.
Texas running backs coach Tashard Choice was spectacular leading the charge in Florida once it became clear the Longhorns were top contenders for Baxter and Kirkland, and he’ll look to continue the trend in the years to come.
HAWAII, CALIFORNIA, UTAH, ELSEWHERE
For the first time in program history, the Longhorns went to Hawaii to secure a signature. They went to Kahuku (Hawaii) for On3 three-star Liona Lefau, snatching a ready-made linebacker for the next level. Texas fended off Oregon, Utah, and Washington for Lefau’s services. Hat tip to Jeff Choate and Pete Kwiatkowski for this win.
The Longhorns have been in California for years, with Heisman winner Ricky Williams hailing from the Golden State. In California, UT went after a handful of top prospects and was able to land Spencer Shannon, a 6-foot-7, 230-pound tight end from Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei, and DeAndre Moore Jr., a four-star receiver from nearby St. John Bosco.
In Utah (by way of Hawaii), Texas found On3 four-star EDGE Lehi (Utah) Skyridge Tausili Akana, who grew up with Lefau. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder chose the Longhorns over Oklahoma and Oregon, and did it three days after his sister recorded national championship-clinching ace for Texas’ volleyball team.
Sarkisian and company pursued a handful of recruits in Arizona, and have made it into the final stages of Duce Robinson‘s recruitment. He plans to announce on the second signing day. The Longhorns are also after Tyler Scott from Georgia, who will announce on January 7.
Texas went nationwide and won a solid number of recruiting battles across the country. From East to West, the Longhorns identified targets and pounced with precision to produce one of the top three classes in 2023 according to the On3 Consensus Team Rankings.
