3 big-time recruits Texas football could lose out on this weekend

It seems like the wave of momentum on the trail for the 2023 Texas football recruiting class is finally starting to slow down in late July. Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian were red-hot on the recruiting trail for the 2023 class in the last month or so following the June 23 commitment of the elite five-star Isidore Newman quarterback Arch Manning.

Sark and the Longhorns more than tripled the size of the 2023 class going back to mid-June. And landing a commitment from the once-in-a-generation quarterback talent Arch was a big reason for this insanely hot streak on the recruiting trail in the last few weeks.

Texas is now up to 20 commits in the 2023 class after offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and the Longhorns snagged a pledge from the touted four-star Dr. Phillips (FL) offensive tackle Payton Kirkland last weekend. But it might be a while before the next commitment arrives in the Longhorns 2023 class.

Priority 2023 Texas football recruits that could be off the board this weekend

That became apparent this weekend following what looked to be a successful Texas July BBQ a couple of days ago. With that in mind, here’s a look at three big-time recruits the Longhorns could lose out on this weekend.

Colton Vasek, EDGE

One of the top targets on the Longhorns’ radar in the last couple of months is the highly touted four-star Austin-Westlake edge rusher Colton Vasek. Given the need that the Longhorns have in the 2023 class to add depth at edge rusher, Vasek was a notable priority throughout this summer.

Heading into the fall, it looked like Texas and the Oregon Ducks were the top dogs in the race to land a commitment from the hometown product Vasek. And that especially looked to be the case following an apparent successful unofficial visit for Vasek to Texas for the July BBQ earlier this week.

https://twitter.com/OUCrystalBall/status/1553465365015007232

But that didn’t stop the buzz from coming out heading into the weekend that new head coach Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners could be the emerging favorite to land Vasek. Multiple expert 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions are now in place projecting Vasek’s commitment to Oklahoma.

https://twitter.com/RivalsNick/status/1553462115389898755

There are also multiple other recruiting services that are starting to forecast Vasek’s commitment to the Sooners.

This could be a big blow for the Longhorns if they do wind up losing the race to land a commitment from Vasek, especially at the hands of Oklahoma. It does seem like the Sooners came out of nowhere to make this run for Vasek. But the writing is on the wall that he’s starting to trend to the Sooners this weekend.