Breaking down 5 most important 2023 summer visitors for Texas football

This week will start the anticipated summer visit season for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff, namely for key targets of the 2023 Texas football recruiting class. Texas is set to host multiple dozen targets for their 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes in the next few weeks.

But the focus will mainly be on the key targets of the Longhorns 2023 class that are visiting officially in the next few weeks. A good number of these targets of the Longhorns 2023 class have some decisions that are anticipated to be announced before the 2022 regular season kicks off.

That means a critical few weeks ahead on the recruiting trail for Sark and the Longhorns staff.

Texas will get up and running with the first round of official visitors set to make their way to Austin this coming weekend. But the first major round of official visitors will come in the middle of this month, starting on June 17.

Nonetheless, it is worth noting how this visit scheduled has shaped up and where the Longhorns currently fit among the top schools for some of their most important visiting recruits on the trail this summer.

Which visiting recruits this summer should take priority for Texas football?

Here’s a look at a breakdown of five of the most important summer visitors among 2023 recruits for the Longhorns.

Cedric Baxter Jr., RB

One of the initial official visitors that Texas is set to host this week among the targets of the 2023 class coming to town this weekend is the highly touted four-star Edgewater (FL) running back Cedric Baxter Jr. The official visit to Austin for Baxter should last from June 10-12. And this will be his second visit to Austin since the start of spring camp.

This will definitely wind up being the most important visit for Baxter with Texas this coming weekend. If Texas wants to continue to be a threat to the Florida Gators (the consensus top school at the moment with Baxter), then they’ll have to absolutely knock this visit out of the park starting on June 10.

There are two factors that will ultimately determine Texas’ standing with Baxter. The first is how new head coach Billy Napier and the Gators are able to close this recruitment out. If new running backs coach Tashard Choice and the Longhorns can continue to build momentum on the recruiting trail with Baxter in the next couple of months, there is a possibility that could lead to an early commitment in Texas’ favor.

And the other factor in play here for the Longhorns in the recruitment of Baxter is what happens with the fellow elite running back recruit and five-star El Campo product Rueben Owens. If Owens picks another one of his presumed top schools, such as the Texas A&M Aggies, that could actually help Texas with Baxter.

It would make for an interesting dynamic in the Longhorns 2023 class at the running back position if Texas landed Baxter. Since four-star DeSoto running back Tre Wisner is already committed to the Longhorns in the 2023 class, there would be a bit of a logjam at the position.

Both Baxter and Wisner are bigger backs that can thrive in short-yardage situations while also making plays running up the middle and between the tackles. The 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Baxter would obviously be the first choice for Sark, Choice, and the Longhorns at running back.

But the skill sets of Baxter and Wisner likely would conflict more so than that of Owens and Wisner for the Longhorns in this class.

That is something to note moving forward.