Texas adds key commitment from 4-Star S/ATH Larry Turner-Gooden

More waves are being made for head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff for the 2022 Texas football recruiting class on the afternoon of Jan. 8. Texas landed a commitment that was anticipated for a while now from the touted four-star Bishop Alemany (CA) safety/athlete Larry Turner-Gooden.

This is a big commitment for the Longhorns staff to get in the 2022 class just a few weeks ahead of National Signing Day. The California native and former Arizona State Sun Devils commit Turner-Gooden adds yet another blue-chip to the Longhorns 2022 class this weekend.

Turner-Gooden announced his commitment to Texas during the All-American Bowl on Jan. 8. He was likely the most anticipated decision that was to be announced on the day of the All-American Bowl this weekend.

Texas football hauls in commitment from 4-Star S/ATH Larry Turner-Gooden on Jan. 8

Turner-Gooden also posted the announcement of his commitment to Texas on social media on the afternoon of Jan. 8. He could be one of the final additions to the Longhorns 2022 class just a few weeks ahead of the second signing period.

Texas landed this commitment from Turner-Gooden over other top schools he had offers from such as the Colorado Buffaloes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Maryland Terrapins, and USC Trojans. Arizona State was also in this recruitment during the fall.

This was a good job by safeties coach Blake Gideon to lock down on the commitment of Turner-Gooden. Sark himself was also one of the top recruiters going after the commitment of Turner-Gooden until the very end of his recruitment.

It looks like he already signed his National Letter of Intent during the first signing period, and could enroll early with the Longhorns to participate in spring camp.

Texas is getting a bevy of blue-chip 2022 defensive backs that are looking to make their way to the Forty Acres as early enrollees. With Turner-Gooden having already signed his LOI with Texas during the first signing period, he is likely going to join this group on campus this semester.

The three other key defensive backs to watch in this class are four-star Aledo safety BJ Allen Jr., four-star Memorial cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau, and four-star Denton-Ryan safety Austin Jordan. This could be a really potent and talented group that helps to rebuild the secondary for Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate for the next few years.

What Turner-Gooden brings to the table individually for the Longhorns is a versatile defensive back that could realistically play at safety or cornerback. But it looks like the best fit with Turner-Gooden will be at the safety position.

Turner-Gooden is solid in stopping the run and in pass coverage. He’s got good ball instincts and covers the entire field well sideline-to-sideline. When locked in, Turner-Gooden is also a very-sure tackler.

The 6-foot-1 and 180-pound frame that Turner-Gooden has can make him a daunting presence around the line of scrimmage when he comes up to that level of the defense too.

Moreover, it also feels like Turner-Gooden could be the type of talent that can make an impact for the Longhorns in the return game. Getting to learn under the likes of a fellow former blue-chip defensive back recruit and senior corner/special teams threat in D’Shawn Jamison in 2022 could also be a huge help for Turner-Gooden.

What’s really appealing about this haul of defensive backs that the Longhorns are getting in Allen Jr., Jordan, Guilbeau, and now Turner-Gooden is the fact that this group brings such diverse skill sets to the table. Guilbeau is a solid cover corner, Jordan is a rangy safety in pass coverage with a ball-hawking ability, Allen Jr. has the highest ceiling of the group it looks like, and Turner-Gooden might be the most explosive and versatile.

After landing the commitment of Turner-Gooden on Jan. 8, Texas is now up to 27 signees in the 2022 class. According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2022 Texas recruiting class ranks at No. 5 in the nation and in the top spot in the Big 12.