3 defensive recruits that could help Texas football land Arch Manning

Malik Muhammad, CB

Potentially the most recognizable name for the Longhorns faithful among the defensive recruits visiting this weekend officially is the talented four-star South Oak Cliff cornerback Malik Muhammad. As one of the top defensive targets in-state and one of the top-ranked defensive back prospects in the nation for this cycle, Muhammad is a top priority for the Longhorns.

Muhammad would be an immediate difference-maker for the Longhorns in the 2023 class on the defensive side of the ball. Landing a defensive back of his caliber would also help jolt the Longhorns in terms of momentum on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class.

Nabbing a commitment from Muhammad would mean a bigger draw to the Longhorns 2023 class, which would do nothing but help Sark and his staff in the recruitment of Arch.

Texas has their work cut out for them, though, in the race to land a commitment from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex product Muhammad this summer. It looks like head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies have a pretty firm lead among the top schools for Muhammad.

And with the possibility of a summer decision timeline emerging for Muhammad in the next few weeks, this official visit to Austin starting on June 17 will be paramount for the Texas staff.

All in all, landing Muhammad obviously wouldn’t be any sort of deciding factor for Arch. But if there is a certain level of buy-in from a top-50 caliber prospect in the nation such as Muhammad that can be a defensive anchor in the Longhorns 2023 class coming out of this weekend, that would certainly be a signal to Arch that this group is trending in the right direction.