Texas football after quick riser in 4-Star OK State commit Jelani McDonald

There is plenty of news to get to on the trail for the 2023 and 2024 Texas football recruiting classes this week. It’s clear that the Red River Rivalry game between Texas and the Oklahoma Sooners will have an impact on the recruiting trail for both programs.

But head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns definitely have a lot to benefit from on the recruiting trail if they can take home the victory over new head coach Brent Venables and the Sooners this weekend. A win over Oklahoma in Red River could also give Sark and the Longhorns some real momentum heading into the back half of the regular season and the rest of conference play.

One recruit that a solid run through the rest of the regular season could really attract is a current Oklahoma State Cowboys commit and the fast-rising four-star Waco Connally athlete Jelani McDonald.

Texas seems to have found an interest in McDonald this fall, despite him not having an offer from the Longhorns at this point.

According to a report from Justin Wells of Inside Texas on Oct. 6 (paid content), McDonald is now set to attend Texas’ game at home in Austin next weekend against the Iowa State Cyclones. McDonald looks to join a growing list of 2023 visitors for the Longhorns for the Iowa State game on Oct. 15.

A couple of the other visitors of note for that weekend include the elite five-star Isidore Newman quarterback commit Arch Manning and four-star Arlington-Seguin safety commit Jamel Johnson.

Oklahoma State commit and 4-Star ATH Jelani McDonald set to visit Texas football vs. Iowa State

This is big for the Longhorns as McDonald could be a rising target to watch for this staff ahead of signing day in a couple of months. He’s a hot commodity on the recruiting trail right now, despite his commitment to Oklahoma State.

In fact, the latest composite ranking updates from On3 and 247Sports firmly established McDonald as a blue-chip recruit. On3 even ranks him as one of the top three athletes nationally in this 2023 class.

McDonald is an excellent athlete that could bring a lot of versatility to the table if Texas was able to flip his commitment from Oklahoma State. He’s a gifted 6-foot-2 and 190-pound multi-sport athlete that also plays basketball and competes in track and field for Connally.

On the gridiron, McDonald plays as a dual-threat quarterback on offense. McDonald is also capable of playing as a defensive back or a linebacker on defense.

Granted, McDonald would have to put on some weight (at least 20 or 25 pounds) before he would be ready to compete at the Power Five level for the Longhorns at the linebacker position.

Realistically, I think McDonald profiles as a safety or a cornerback if the Longhorns do offer him in the near future. McDonald’s insane speed and ranginess (possesses a 6-foot-6 wingspan) make him a nice fit at safety for Texas. But I don’t know for sure where Texas would pitch him to play positionally on the Forty Acres.

Texas currently holds commitments from 21 recruits in the 2023 class following the de-commitment of the touted four-star Spring Dekaney wide receiver Jonah Wilson as of Oct. 6. At the moment, Texas holds commitments from three defensive backs in the 2023 class and no recruits that classify as athletes.