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

Anthony Hill, LB

By far the biggest loss for Sark and the Longhorns staff in the 2023 class this weekend came courtesy of a bit of a surprise decision announced by the elite five-star Denton-Ryan linebacker Anthony Hill. Right at noon on July 30, the uber-talented Denton, TX, product took to social media to announce his commitment to head coach Jimbo Fisher and the rival Texas A&M Aggies.

Last month, Hill boiled down his list of his top schools to just two, including Texas and Texas A&M. And it looked as if Texas had generated enough momentum on the recruiting trail with Hill to push his decision at least into August or September. That would at least give the Longhorns the opportunity to make a real impression on Hill after his unofficial visit to College Station to see Texas A&M earlier this week.

But Texas wasn’t able to push through Hill’s unofficial visit to College Station to see Fisher and the Aggies this weekend. The buzz started coming about late in the night of July 29 that Hill was trending to Texas A&M. And then, the announcement came on Hill’s Twitter timeline on July 30 that he would be joining the Aggies’ 2023 class.

https://twitter.com/thegoatanthony1/status/1553425304126951426

Yet, this isn’t a situation where special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks and the Longhorns are just going to throw in the towel. I would imagine that Texas is going to recruit Hill right through the whistle.

That strategy paid off along the offensive line in the Longhorns 2022 class last fall. Don’t write off the Longhorns’ chances to make a similar run at key defensive targets of the 2023 class this fall, especially if this team improves on the field during the 2022 season.

At this point, Texas showing massive strides on defense this fall, leading to more success in the win column, gives this staff the best path forward to try and flip Hill’s commitment.