When there's a big Texas football game, other UT sports reap the benefits, too

With No. 1 Alabama heading to town this weekend, the Texas football staff plans to capitalize on the high-profile matchup by welcoming current commits and other highly-rated prospects to Austin to get a taste of life as a Longhorn.

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Whether it’s On3 Consensus five-star tight end Duce Robinson or current 2023 commits like Derion Gullette and Ryan Niblett, prospective student-athletes for football are making their way to the Forty Acres to see Steve Sarkisian and the UT football program for themselves.

Sarkisian isn’t the only head coach who benefits from grand atmospheres at Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. The entire athletic department uses football weekends for hosting visitors. That’s true of fall sports like volleyball, winter sports like men’s and women’s basketball, and even spring sports like baseball.

“Football gameday is a big draw, obviously,” head volleyball coach Jerritt Elliot said on Monday. “It gets every dad interested in coming on a visit. The atmosphere is great.”

Said Longhorn head baseball coach David Pierce on Thursday: “We’re using this as a big-time official weekend, selling our university, selling our athletic department, selling our city, selling our program.”

For other sports, football gamedays are used to provide glimpses of what life at the University of Texas is like outside of the respective athletic facility. Each sport takes the time to meet with prospective student-athletes and their families, but Pierce mentioned how important selling student life and the school pride associated with it is.

“This is part of the experience and the reason why you should go to college, the reason why you should go to a place like Texas because it’s a place that’s bigger than you and it identifies you for the rest of your life,” Pierce said.

Elliott recognized that aspect as well and used Logan Eggleston, arguably UT’s highest profile female athlete, as an example.

“I try to tell our recruits, they’re not Logan Eggleston the volleyball player. They’re Logan Eggleston that loves volleyball,” Elliott said. “For that, they need to be able to have some mental health and things they enjoy doing. Texas offers that. They’re going to have off Alabama weekend and get to enjoy that weekend and go.”

Volleyball and baseball both have the bulk of their 2023 classes committed with the November early signing period not too far away. Plenty of each classes’ members will be in Austin this weekend, but both programs are using the Crimson Tide’s visit to host younger prospects they want in burnt orange.

Each program has its own individual spin on how a visit operates, but the main structure generally stays the same. So, for example, what does an visit weekend look like for an uncommitted pitching prospect Pierce wants in his program?

First, they make sure the recruit and his family are settled in at their hotel. Then, they get a tour of UFCU Disch-Falk Field and the J. Dan Brown Player Development Center.

After the tour, Pierce and staff host a group meeting with the parents that functions as a Q&A session before going into individual meetings. Pitchers meet with Woody Williams while non-pitching prospects meet with Steve Rodriguez and Caleb Longley, akin to how a defensive back prospect would meet with Terry Joseph on a football visit.

Then, they meet with Pierce for more questions and to better get to know each other. Pierce only has so much time on his schedule to sell the program. So when the fun gets going and it’s time to head to the game, he relies on the players to help in the recruiting process.

“We really want them to visit with our players,” Pierce said. “I think our players are our best asset. They can tell them about our program. We want guys that want to be here, so they’re going to give them valid information. Then, they get the opportunity to just go see a great environment at the football game and Bevo Blvd. We try to give them a full experience.”

In addition to selling the school, Pierce tries to sell the Austin area and show recruits and their families what life in Central Texas is like. It’s to show that while the baseball facilities (and any Texas athletic program’s facilities) have the latest and greatest, there’s plenty of other things to do in the state’s capital city.

When the athletic department can celebrate its second consecutive LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, like it will at halftime of Saturday’s game, it give coaches the ability to show what Longhorn sports are capable of to any recruit.

“When you’re around greatness like all of the coaches here in the sports, it makes it a fun recruiting event,” Elliott said.

There is reciprocation from the football side. After all, Arch Manning stopped by the Disch during one of his spring visits, and players from Sarkisian’s program have made numerous cameos at Gregory Gym.

But this weekend, the entire UT athletic ecosystem will take advantage of the national football game of the week being on campus. It’s one of the best possible ways for every program to offer their best sell.

“It gives us such a great opportunity to promote the University of Texas and everything that comes with that,” Pierce said.