In a wild day of news on the trail for the 2022 Texas football recruiting class, the outlook for this group has changed in a big way. Texas was able to get a re-commitment from the touted four-star Memorial cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau, as he flipped back to the 2022 recruiting class from the TCU Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 25).
Yet, it wasn’t all positive news for first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian in the Longhorns 2022 class on Thanksgiving Day. Texas lost a commitment of its own in the 2022 class on Nov. 25, with the talented four-star Tyler Legacy running back Jamarion Miller flipping from the Longhorns to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
There were some indicators of what would eventually transpire on Thanksgiving Day in the past couple of weeks with Guilbeau and Miller. Alabama was after Miller for the last few months to try and add him to their 2022 class. He had a successful official visit by all indications with the Crimson Tide when he was in Tuscaloosa back on Oct. 23 for their win over the Tennessee Volunteers.
Who can Texas football get next in the 2022 class after landing Jaylon Guilbeau again?
Meanwhile, following the departure of longtime TCU head coach Gary Patterson this fall, it looked like Guilbeau’s commitment was starting to get shaky with the Horned Frogs. Texas capitalized on that to get him back in their 2022 class this week.
The re-commitment from Guilbeau brought the Longhorns 2022 class up to 23 prospects at least for a few hours. But that number is back down to 22 after Miller flipped his commitment from Texas to Alabama on Nov. 25.
With that in mind, here’s a look into a few prospects that could be the next to commit in the Longhorns 2022 class after an eventful Thanksgiving Day for Sark and his staff on the recruiting trail.
Devin Brown, QB
The race to land the ultimate commitment of the highly touted four-star Corner Canyon (UT) quarterback Devin Brown is now kicking into high gear after he opened up his recruitment on Nov. 24. Brown officially de-committed from the USC Trojans on the night of Nov. 24, allowing some of his other top schools to make a more spirited run at him.
At this point of the 2022 recruiting cycle, the Utah product Brown has become one of the most notable names around the college football recruiting landscape. Just a few weeks ahead of the start of the Early Signing Period, the Longhorns are squarely in the mix to land the commitment of and sign the 6-foot-3 and 190-pound Brown.
The goal for Sark and the Longhorns is to get two quarterback commitments in the 2022 signing class by all indications. Texas is pushing hard to add Brown to the 2022 class allow with the fellow four-star quarterback and Junipero Serra product Maalik Murphy.
It will be key to watch what happens with Brown and the other apparent top two schools in the Ohio State Buckeyes and Ole Miss Rebels. If there had to be a top-two named for Brown, it does look like it would be Texas and Ohio State.
Texas did recently host Brown for an official visit in the eventual bad loss at home back on Nov. 13 at the hands of the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime. But Texas still appears to be trending up with Brown. At this point, I’d say it’s a coin flip whether Texas or Ohio State will eventually wind up with Brown’s signed National Letter of Intent.
Matthew Golden, WR
Can Sark and the Longhorns land a duo of commitments from four-star Klein Cain skill position products?
That has yet to be known, but it is apparent that the Longhorns have a good shot to pull that off. Texas already holds a commitment from the touted four-star Klein Cain running back Jaydon Blue. And Texas could soon close in on another four-star Klein Cain skill position product in the 6-foot-1 and 190-pound wide receiver Matthew Golden.
Especially since there is another current Texas commit in doubt in the 2022 class in four-star Lewisville wide receiver Armani Winfield, it could be critical for the Longhorns to seal the deal with Golden. And Texas is certainly headed in the right direction right now with Golden.
Golden just received his Texas offer back on Nov. 2. There is a lot of momentum right now with Texas and Golden as they try to close in on a commitment ahead of the Early Signing Period. But this might be a recruitment that extends beyond the Early Signing Period next month.
It looks like Golden still has some visits planned that will carry through the end of next month. One of the official visits to expect from Golden next month should come with Texas.
Some of the other top schools worth watching for Golden as we move closer to the Early Signing Period are the Baylor Bears, Houston Cougars, LSU Tigers, and potentially TCU. But there looks to be a solid top-four right now for Golden including Texas, Baylor, Houston, and LSU.
Malik Agbo, OT
There might not be a single bigger position of need remaining open in the Longhorns 2022 class at this point in time than offensive tackle. And unless Texas is able to flip the commitment of someone like the elite five-star Summer Creek offensive tackle Kelvin Banks from the Oregon Ducks very soon, this 2022 class is going to have to find another solution.
Moreover, it really doesn’t look like Texas has a high likelihood to flip the commitment of Banks from the Ducks either.
This leaves Texas with a key target at the offensive tackle position in the 2022 class like the four-star Todd Beamer (WA) product Malik Agbo. The blue-chip 6-foot-6 and 320-pound offensive tackle is definitely one of the most notable remaining uncommitted targets of the Longhorns 2022 class at this spot.
And it now looks like Texas is one of the emerging top three or four schools with Agbo at this point of his recruitment. While it will be difficult for Texas to top the likes of the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators, Texas is still very heavily involved in this recruitment.
There could be one more visit here for the Longhorns to give a final pitch to Agbo. It really feels like Texas will still have a chance to shoot their shot with Agbo and close the deal on him in the weeks ahead.
If Texas can make the right pitch with Agbo in the next month or so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them start generating a ton of buzz in this recruitment. This is one recruitment that could find a single frontrunner in a hurry. And if Texas can time this one right with the proper pitch, it could be them soon winning over the interests of Agbo.