4 elite 2023 Texas recruits that are important to watch in February

David Hicks, DL

Among the top-ranked prospects for the 2023 recruiting cycle is the elite five-star Allen defensive lineman David Hicks. Texas was long after Hicks, but there wasn’t much traction to be found compared to some of his other top schools early on. It does appear that Texas made more progress of late in the recruitment of Hicks, but they still have a long way to go.

At the moment, it looks like Texas is a part of a top-five or six schools that also includes the likes of the Texas A&M Aggies, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Clemson Tigers, LSU Tigers, and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Texas A&M has looked like the frontrunner in the race to land a commitment from Hicks for a good while now. But there’s a long way to go in this recruitment in all likelihood. Texas should still have their shot with Hicks. And they’re still alive in this recruitment.

Defensive line coach Bo Davis proved that he can be one of the best defensive line recruiters in the country with the results he found in the Longhorns 2022 class. Don’t count out Davis and the Longhorns in this one.

The early portion of this offseason, though, will be critical for Texas in the battle for Hicks. If they want to stay alive with other schools that are pushing hard with Hicks such as Texas A&M, Alabama, and Clemson, they need to really make a big push for him in the weeks and months ahead.

Texas A&M likely still has the momentum at the moment with Hicks. Reversing that course might have to wait until the fall. Hicks wants to see more success out on the field from the Longhorns and it might be difficult to make a true impression on him to move the needle until that time arrives.