A tough miss for the 2022 Texas football recruiting class arrived for new head coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood over the weekend that really cost this group their first major five-star commit of this cycle. Texas really didn’t have a truly major miss on the recruiting trail for the 2022 or 2023 class under Sark as head coach since he was first hired to replace Tom Herman back on Jan. 2.
At least, that was true until later in the day on July 4. In the span of just a few hours on July 4, Texas missed out on commitments from the likes of four-star Garland wide receiver Jordan Hudson and five-star Summer Creek (TX) offensive tackle Kelvin Banks.
Texas saw the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex native and former Oklahoma Sooners commit Hudson give his pledge to head coach Sonny Dykes and the SMU Mustangs during the holiday weekend. And the Humble, TX, native Banks became the second offensive lineman that head coach Mario Cristobal and the Oregon Ducks stole away from Sark and the Longhorns in a matter of just a few days.
Times where Oregon got the best of Texas football on the recruiting trail
The other offensive lineman that the Longhorns missed out on at the hands of the Ducks within the past week was the three-star Duncanville offensive tackle, Cameron Williams. It is good news for Texas that they landed a trio of commitments this week, including two blue-chips. That helps to soften the blow of missing out on Banks specifically over the weekend.
But this is starting to fit into a bigger theme where the Longhorns miss out on a plethora of top recruiting targets of late to Oregon. Here’s a look back at five recruits that the Ducks stole away from the Longhorns in recent memory.
Landon Hullaby, S
One of the more recent misses on the recruiting trail at the hands of the Ducks for the Longhorns is the brother of a player on the current roster on the Forty Acres. Former three-star athlete recruit Jaden Hullaby saw his brother, and four-star Mansfield Timberview 6-foot and 185-pound safety, Landon Hullaby give his commitment to Oregon over Texas and the rest of the competing schools on Feb. 20.
Texas looked like the frontrunner to land the commitment of Hullaby for most of his recruitment. But just like they did with both Williams and Banks, Oregon made a late rally to win over the commitment in an unforeseen manner when it was all said and done.
Maybe Texas can still make a late rally to flip the commitment of Hullaby, but that doesn’t look too likely at this point. Oregon landed the commitment of the DFW-Metroplex native Hullaby over competing schools such as the Longhorns, Auburn Tigers, Baylor Bears, Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Tennessee Volunteers, TCU Horned Frogs, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and USC Trojans.
Texas missed out on the nation’s No. 352 2022 high school prospect, No. 22 safety, and the No. 50 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite), with Hullaby committing to Oregon a few months back. This was a sizable miss for Texas considering how much of a slam dunk it looked to be for the Longhorns at one point.
Although the Ducks have not been able to officially sign the National Letter of Intent of Hullaby yet, this is a good pickup to help boost their defense as part of the 2022 class.
Kelvin Banks, OT
Definitely the most notable recent addition for the Ducks 2022 recruiting class is also their highest-rated offensive line commit in program history (or at least as long as modern recruiting rankings existed). Landing a commitment from the 6-foot-5 and 300-pound Summer Creek offensive tackle Banks was huge for Oregon.
This marks a point where the Ducks are starting to become a seriously major player for some of the top talents out of the state of Texas. Sark and the Longhorns are now looking like they have to duke it out with the Ducks to a similar degree for this recruiting cycle that they do with the likes of the LSU Tigers, Georgia Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, etc.
Banks is a former Oklahoma State commit that his recruitment re-opened for a good while now. It did look like Banks had a top-two of the Longhorns and rival Texas A&M Aggies throughout the past couple of months. Although Texas fell behind Oregon and Texas A&M to the point where it was pretty well known that Banks wouldn’t land on the Forty Acres by the start of the weekend.
It looks like the final set of official visits for Banks last month were not enough for Texas to really come close to establishing itself as the frontrunner to land him. Oregon was the surprising program that made the late run to land Banks.
What Texas is missing out on with Banks committing to Oregon is the nation’s No. 15 2022 high school prospect, No. 2 offensive tackle, and No. 5 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranks him as the nation’s No. 34 high school prospect, No. 3 offensive tackle, and No. 9 prospect out of Texas.
Troy Franklin, WR
One of the frontrunners to land the commitment of the former four-star Menlo-Atherton talented wide receiver Troy Franklin during the 2021 recruiting cycle was the Longhorns. The 6-foot-2 and 175-pound Menlo Park, CA, native Franklin wound up committing and signing with the Ducks over the likes of the Longhorns and Washington Huskies this past cycle.
Franklin was one of the most high-profile wide receiver targets for the former head coach Herman and then first-year wide receivers coach Andre Coleman at the outset of the 2021 recruiting cycle. Texas, Oregon, and Washington were three of the two dozen schools on Franklin’s offer sheet.
Some of the other notable schools that offered Franklin included the Crimson Tide, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Iowa State Cyclones, Miami Hurricanes, Nebraska, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and USC.
Texas was actually one of the earlier schools to offer Franklin. But Herman and the Longhorns were never able to lock in an official and/or unofficial visit with Franklin prior to the end of in-person visits on campus in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last visit that Franklin actually took ahead of the end of in-person visits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic was with the Ducks back in March 2020.
What Texas missed out on with Oregon landing the commitment of Franklin was the nation’s No. 40 2021 high school prospect, No. 3 wide receiver, and No. 2 prospect out of California (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranked him as the nation’s No. 53 high school prospect, No. 3 wide receiver, and No. 2 prospect out of California.
The opportunity will definitely be there for Franklin to make an immediate impact for the Ducks. If Texas had found a way to land Franklin, then he would’ve been the highest-rated wide receiver signee in the 2021 class.
Arrion Springs, CB
Among the most underrated defensive backs of the 2010s in the PAC-12 was the former Ducks standout cornerback and four-star recruit Arrion Springs. Purely in terms of the number he put up during his time with the Ducks in the mid-to-late 2010s, Springs was one of the most effective cornerbacks that ran through the PAC-12 North.
But there was a point in time where the Ducks did not look to be the frontrunner to land the commitment of Springs. The San Antonio, TX, native and Roosevelt High School product Springs did have an offer from the Longhorns during his recruitment in the 2014 cycle.
Some of the other top schools pursuing him out of high school included the Oklahoma Sooners, Florida State Seminoles, Miami, USC, LSU, Clemson Tigers, Texas, and Texas Tech.
During his four years playing for Oregon, Springs registered 137 career combined tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, a whopping 42 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
When Texas missed out on the commitment of Springs for their 2014 class, they missed on the nation’s No. 89 high school prospect, No. 9 cornerback, and No. 13 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranks him as the nation’s No. 48 high school prospect, No. 7 cornerback, and No. 5 prospect out of Texas.
There were a few different NFL teams that gave Springs a shot as an undrafted free agent signing in the past few years, including the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers. But he has yet to play in a single snap of regular season/postseason game action in the NFL to date.
Arik Armstead, DT
Literally, one of the biggest prospects that Texas ever offered but saw commit to the Ducks was the former elite five-star recruit and 6-foot-8 and 290-pound defensive tackle Arik Armstead. The Pleasant Grove High School product and Elk Grove, CA, native Armstead had around five or six frontrunners back during the 2012 recruiting cycle.
And Texas was one of those schools that remained alive late in the recruitment of Armstead before he announced his commitment to Oregon. A few of the other schools that were heavily involved in his recruitment outside of Texas and Oregon were the Cal Golden Bears, Auburn, Notre Dame, Alabama, and USC.
Armstead was one of those rare cases where he didn’t really fulfill his potential with the Ducks, but he really found his way at the next level. He is one of the better defensive linemen at this point for the San Franciso 49ers. During the 2019 season, Armstead was nearly a Pro Bowl selection as he registered 10 sacks during the regular season.
During his bits and pieces of three years playing for Oregon, Armstead registered 87 career combined tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
What Texas originally missed out on with Armstead committing to Oregon was the nation’s No. 14 2012 high school prospect, top overall athlete, and No. 3 prospect out of California (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranked him as the nation’s No. 4 high school prospect, and the top overall athlete and prospect out of California.