Texas' pragmatic approach yields high upside passer
After Texas went 5-7 in 2021 I started surveying the quarterback landscape a little closer. I knew not all hope was lost with Arch Manning but I did believe UT’s job became more difficult to land him and wanted to better understand UT’s potential options better in the event more offers would need to go out.
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I quickly stumbled upon Austin Novosad from nearby Dripping Springs. Novosad would soon commit to Baylor but it was pretty clear to me his options would grow over time. Texas was even showing a little interest. Novosad looked on par with some of the national prospects Texas was evaluating, though with his sinewy build he might take a little more time to develop. Of course over time his profile began to rise. Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M all showed genuine interest. It wasn’t until a very late Oregon push after the Ducks hired Will Stein as offensive coordinator that Novosad finally de-committed from Baylor. After seeing Novosad throw and talking to him a few times I was fan and found myself wishing he was in the 2024 class.
Hello, Trey Owens. Similar to Novosad, Owens is an easy thrower of the ball with good pocket presence. He’s bigger, but still needs to fill out. Currently he’s flying under the radar, but like Novosad, his profile will rise over time. The only thing keeping him from receiving more offers is the fact he’s now committed to Texas. Schools won’t want to waste their time.
I mention Novosad for two reasons. One, the staff clearly made a good early ID of him even if they didn’t need to pursue. Second, this time last year he was an .87 rated recruit before finishing the cycle .94. I don’t know that Owens will rise that much, but I’m betting he does rise over time. It was clear early on Novosad was underrated. To me it’s just as clear Owens is similarly underrated.
In both the 2023 and 2024 cycles Texas coaches showed great awareness and sound processes. They were prepared to push for Novosad (and others like Clemson signee Christian Vizzina) in the event things went sideways with Manning but that need never arose. Then after landing Manning, the staff knew it would require a certain type of competitive recruit to follow the five-star with the famous last name. After it was clear Julian Sayin wouldn’t follow Manning, the staff set its sights on the more attainable Owens.
It flew under the radar in June but Owens was on campus at the same time Arch was. That’s how far in advance the staff had its sights on Owens.
That’s how far in advance the staff planned for today.
