Texas has let off the gas with 4-Star 2023 S Ryan Yaites

As of the afternoon of Feb. 21, the 2023 Texas football recruiting class and second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian is now going on more than three months since their latest commitment. The one and only commitment in Texas’ 2023 class at the moment is the touted four-star Arlington-Seguin defensive back Jamel Johnson.

Yet, there are pieces in place for the Longhorns to really put together a special 2023 class in the months ahead. It will be interesting to see what transpires for Texas on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class during spring ball, though.

A name that appeared to be firmly on the radar for Sark and the Longhorns staff as a target of the 2023 class is now looking to fall off ahead of the spring. Four-star Denton-Guyer safety Ryan Yaites just released his four finalist schools on his Twitter timeline on the night of Feb. 20.

And that group of his top four schools did not include the Longhorns. Instead, Yaites had his top four finalist schools consisting of the LSU Tigers, Cal Golden Bears, Michigan State Spartans, and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Texas football cut from the top 4 finalists for 4-Star S Ryan Yaites

Texas did make it through when he narrowed down his list to eight finalist schools last month. But obviously, Texas did not make it through this round of finalist cuts.

The source of why the Longhorns didn’t make it through this round of finalist cuts just appears to be a lack of prioritization from the coaching staff. According to a report from Inside Texas on Feb. 21 (part of the On3 Network, paid content), the Longhorns have gradually decreased the communication with Yaites, thus resulting in getting cut from his list of finalist schools.

Yaites reportedly said that he “would still be interested” in Texas if the coaching staff picked up the contact with him once again. That would seemingly leave the possibility of recruiting him still on the table for the Longhorns staff.

However, the fact of the matter here is that the Longhorns staff likely has bigger aspirations for the 2023 class than getting a commitment out of Yaites. Texas brought in a touted group of defensive backs in their 2022 signing class highlighted by four-star cornerback Terrance Brooks and four-star safety BJ Allen Jr.

And the lone commitment in the Longhorns 2023 class at the moment is likely going to play at the safety position once he arrives on the Forty Acres. Johnson does have the versatility in his game to play at multiple positions in the secondary. But his natural fit will likely be at safety.

This is still a very notable move for the Longhorns to let off the gas with a defensive back target on the recruiting trail that is essentially unanimously ranked as a top 200 prospect in the country. Texas probably wants to use this spot in the 2023 class to address other needs.