Assessing 3 top recruits Texas football is trending for in July
We could soon be witnessing the second half of the major wave of momentum for second-year head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff on the trail for the 2023 Texas football recruiting class this summer in the next few weeks. Texas saw the wave of momentum following the commitment of the elite five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning slow down a bit in the last couple of weeks as the dead period set in this month.
Yet, Sark and the Longhorns staff still added three five-star commits between the day that Arch announced (June 23) and the end of last month. The other two five-star commits in the Longhorns 2023 class during that insane stretch on the recruiting trail were DeSoto wide receiver Johntay Cook and Westgate (LA) safety Derek Williams.
As of the afternoon of July 15, the Longhorns are up to 18 commits in the 2023 class. But that number could soon jump again in the near future. Texas has a few key targets of the 2023 class with looming decisions on the horizon.
Updating the latest from some top blue-chip recruits for Texas football in July
Some of the targets of the Longhorns 2023 class even have decisions coming up in the next couple of weeks. With that in mind, here’s a look at three top Longhorns recruits that Texas is trending for as of mid-July.
Jalen Hale, WR
The highest-rated remaining wide receiver target on the board at this point of the offseason for the Longhorns 2023 class is the highly touted four-star Longview product Jalen Hale. Texas has remained in the mix among the top schools for Hale for the last six months or so. But it was only recently that Texas started to look like the pacesetter in this recruitment.
It certainly helps that Texas landed a commitment from Arch late last month in terms of their chances to swipe a pledge from Hale. But Texas also looks to have a good fit for Hale as a potential starting outside wide receiver. Hale’s 6-foot-2 and 175-pound frame combined with his strength and leaping ability makes him an ideal fit for Texas at the x-wide receiver spot.
Moreover, the writing is on the wall that Texas is likely in the driver’s seat ahead of a Sep. 22 decision from Hale. The lone expert 247Sports Crystal Ball Prediction for Hale projects his commitment to Texas with moderate confidence.
There are also three forecasts placed by On3 analysts projecting Hale’s commitment to Texas. All three of those forecasts come with a pretty high level of confidence too.
Other recruiting outlets have projected Hale’s commitment to Texas. On3 and 247Sports aren’t the only two doing so.
https://twitter.com/On3Recruits/status/1548012874676649984
And given the fact that Hale has a top three finalist group of Texas along with the Alabama Crimson Tide and Georgia Bulldogs, it makes sense that the Longhorns could be setting the pace here. For a while in the late spring and early summer, it looked like Hale’s decision could boil down to a battle on the trail between Texas and the Texas A&M Aggies.
Once Texas A&M was eliminated, you had to figure that Texas was in a great spot in this recruitment.