Predicting Texas football’s next 2023 commit after flipping Billy Walton

Johntay Cook, WR

If there is any five-star recruit that Texas sits in a great spot to land a commitment from right now, it’s the insanely talented DeSoto wide receiver Johntay Cook. The top wideout priority for new wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion, Sark, and the Longhorns in the 2023 class looks to be firmly trending to the Forty Acres to round out this month.

There is a microscope right now on both Muhammad and Cook after Texas landed a commitment from Walton. Muhammad’s ties to Walton are obvious as they are cousins and teammates.

But it shouldn’t be overlooked how close Cook and Walton are as fellow DFW natives.

Moreover, Cook just wrapped up his official visit to Texas over the weekend. And while Texas didn’t come out of the weekend visit with a commitment in hand from Cook, they still look to be clearly setting the pace in this recruitment.

Cook is now down to a group of three finalist schools that includes the Longhorns, Oregon Ducks, and Michigan Wolverines. But it would be hard for me to believe that either Oregon or Michigan did enough in their respective official visits with Cook earlier this month to move the needle to the point where they take over Texas as the frontrunner.

It’s hard to exactly pin down what the decision timeline will be for Cook this summer. But with the Longhorns holding commitments from the likes of the five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning and Walton in the 2023 class, it feels like only a matter of time before Cook joins the mix too.