As the first official visit weekend for new head coach Steve Sarkisian seemed to go pretty well, it will be interesting to see how the dominoes fall around the college football recruiting landscape in the coming weeks. The return of official visits to the college football recruiting landscape will clearly change the game this offseason on the trail. And the 2022 and 2023 Texas football recruiting classes will have to find a way to keep up with the frantic pace on the trail this summer.
Sark and the Longhorns hosted some Louisiana and Texas native prospects on the Forty Acres last weekend. Most notably, Texas hosted the likes of four-star running back TreVonte Citizen, three-star athlete Jeremy Patton, and an eventual transfer portal addition in the former Alabama Crimson Tide running back Keilan Robinson.
Is anyone getting away from Texas football recruiting this month?
But the second weekend will be just as big for the Longhorns with another set of big official visitors set to make their way to the Forty Acres. Texas will need to make sure they make the right impression again on their visiting prospects of the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes.
Texas also saw some big visit weekends for big-time competing schools on the recruiting trail like the Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers, and Oklahoma Sooners. Watching what happens on the trail with those big-time rivals this summer will be important for Texas fans in the grander scheme of things.
Specifically, Texas A&M seems to be getting in with a few of the bigger Longhorns targets for the next two recruiting cycles. Here’s a look into three particular prospects trending to Texas A&M following the first visit weekend in college football.
Bear Alexander, DL
One significant recent occurrence on the recruiting trail concerning a big-time 2022 target of the Longhorns was the decommitment of the elite five-star Brewer (TX) defensive lineman Bear Alexander from the Georgia Bulldogs. It was back on Feb. 3, 2021, that Georgia and head coach Kirby Smart originally nabbed a pledge from Alexander.
This uber-talented and potent 6-foot-3 and 325-pound native of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is going to be a highly sought-after prospect now that his recruitment is back open. But it looks like Texas A&M is already getting an edge in pursuit of the commitment of Alexander.
The 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions that were updated in the past few days since the June 7 decommitment have his pledge projected to land with the Aggies over the rest of the field. Texas would have a lot of catch-up to do if they wanted to get some of the interests of Alexander back to the Forty Acres.
Texas is one of nearly 30 schools on Alexander’s offer sheet. But it looks like it will be schools like the USC Trojans, Miami Hurricanes, Texas A&M, still Georgia, and Texas that could boil down the commitment of Alexander when it’s all said and done.
It is hard to ignore the direction that Alexander looks to be headed in at the moment, though.
Alexander also had a recent unofficial visit in the past six weeks in College Station. The timing matches up that he likes what he sees out of the Aggies. But there could still be a long way to go before it’s all said and done with his recruitment.
Ish Harris, ATH
One particular prospect that would be a very nice and versatile addition to the Longhorns 2022 class is the four-star Pilot Point athlete Ish Harris. This 6-foot-3 and 195-pound athlete plays at both running back and linebacker at Pilot Point High School in Pilot Point, TX. He is also sought-after by a number of Big 12 schools and those around this state.
Harris has nearly 20 schools on his growing offer sheet, including the likes of Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma. All of the six recent expert 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions have Harris’ commitment landing with the Aggies over the rest of the field.
Texas A&M is set to host Harris on an official visit on June 11, and they look to be already headed in the right direction with his recruitment ahead of the weekend. Texas will host an official visit with Harris on June 25 (his last scheduled at this moment for the summer). And Oklahoma gets his other official visit remaining this month, set for June 18.
Texas has new co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jeff Choate as the primary recruiter pursuing Harris. And Texas A&M has defensive ends coach Terry Price after him. Price is one of head coach Jimbo Fisher’s ace recruiters, so this will be a battle to watch on the trail without a doubt.
Texas, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma look to be the frontrunners to land the commitment of Harris at this point in time. But that could still change.
Harold Perkins, LB
Among the true grand prize prospects of this recruiting cycle for Sark and the Longhorns 2022 class is the five-star Cy Park 6-foot-3 and 200-pound linebacker Harold Perkins.
Texas and Texas A&M have looked like the two major frontrunners for Perkins’ commitment for the past few months. But there are other schools that look to be in the mix, including the Florida Gators, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. There are a host of visits that Perkins has in the summer and fall, and Texas could be on the books for an unofficial visit before too long.
Texas A&M got the first official visit of the month for Perkins. He visited College Station on June 4. And he’s now on his way to an unofficial visit with LSU and head coach Ed Orgeron on June 9. Perkins is about the most highly sought-after linebacker prospect for this entire recruiting cycle.
That is why it would be big for Texas to get him in their 2022 class.
The two expert 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions in for Perkins at the moment have his commitment trending to land with the Aggies over the rest of the field. That’s not a good sign for Texas heading into the rest of visit season.
Although the writing could be on the wall that Perkins is headed elsewhere, Texas could still be in the running among his frontrunners. The good news in the pursuit of Perkins for Texas is that he might not announce his commitment until after the Early Signing Period.
A good showing for the Longhorns this fall might put them in a better position to get some of the interests of Perkins on them. He would be an immediate difference-maker for the 2022 class if he lands with the Longhorns when it’s all said and done.