3 Nebraska commits Texas football should try to flip post-Scott Frost

The picture of the 2023 Texas football recruiting class is coming back into focus this fall. Texas has hosted some notable visitors among targets of the 2023 and 2024 recruiting classes the last few weekends, and there are a couple of notable decisions bound to come soon. That includes a commitment date from the highly touted four-star Longview wide receiver target Jalen Hale, who announced on Sep. 21.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns currently have 22 commits in the 2023 class as of Sep. 19. That probably leaves four or five spots max in the 2023 class before the Longhorns are officially wrapped up for this recruiting cycle.

Yet, how Texas is able to fill those remaining spots in the 2023 class is the real question. Texas has some clear-cut top targets that they’re pushing for this fall such as Hale, five-star Katy Paetow defensive lineman David Hicks, five-star Arlington Martin cornerback Javier Toviano, etc.

But there are still some senior evaluations going on, and the staff likely needs to have some backup options in place.

A potential source for other targets on the board for the Longhorns 2023 class could be some prospects committed to other schools right now. Any schools that undergo some coaching staff turnover could be an area that Texas could exploit on the trail this fall. And a starting point for that could be with the Nebraska Cornhuskers after the departure of now-former head coach Scott Frost.

Nebraska commits worth looking into for Texas football after the firing of Scott Frost

Here’s a look at three Nebraska commits Texas should scout as potential flips for the 2023 class this fall.

Riley Van Poppel, OL/DL

While Texas and offensive line coach/offensive coordinator are likely done recruiting in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball in the 2023 class, the defensive line might be another story. There are still some notable defensive line targets outstanding for the Longhorns 2023 class this fall including the aforementioned Hicks and four-star Garland Naaman Forest DL Markis Deal.

At the moment, it looks like Texas sits in a good spot with Deal, but has an uphill battle to beat out Oklahoma and Texas A&M to win Hicks’ commitment.

But that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal yet with the DFW product Deal. Texas probably would do well to find some backup options ahead of signing day if things don’t workout with Deal.

That’s where I believe the four-star Argyle OL/DL and Nebraska commit Riley Van Poppel could come into play. The 6-foot-4 and 275-pound Van Poppel could be a noteworthy in-state offer that profiles as a true defensive tackle that could clog up space in the middle for Texas.

Van Poppel has the size and versatility in his game to bring value to the table for this defensive line. He could make for an interesting recruit essentially as an insurance policy if Texas needs to go deeper on the DL big board for the 2023 class ahead of singing day.