4 key visiting recruits for Texas football vs. Iowa State this weekend

Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian will have another big recruiting weekend in the next few days when they take on the Iowa State Cyclones at home at the friendly confines of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. Sark and his staff will be looking to turn some of the momenta that this team found on the field of late into success on the recruiting trail in the 2023 and 2024 classes.

There are still a few remaining pieces that Sark and the Longhorns staff would like to add to the 2023 class. But the 2024 class is the group where the Longhorns can make a real impression with some solid play on the field for the rest of the season.

Moreover, the visitor list for this weekend for the Texas-Iowa State game is getting pretty significant at this point. Texas is set to host a couple of noteworthy 2023 recruits currently committed to other schools. And there are some key commits in the Longhorns 2023 class along with some rising recruits in the 2024 cycle.

Arch Manning and the big-time visitors for Texas football for the Iowa State game this weekend

With that in mind, here’s a look at four key visiting recruits for Texas this weekend as this team faces Iowa State.

Jelani McDonald, ATH

One of the most recent offers for the Longhorns 2023 class was to the rising four-star Oklahoma State Cowboys commit and Waco Connally athlete Jelani McDonald. Texas did a nice job with the senior scouting job on McDonald, who promptly got an offer after a hot start to the final year for him playing for Connally High School.

We talked about the nice job that this coaching staff did identifying the value that McDonald could bring to the table for the Longhorns 2023 class, and then promptly getting an offer his way. In fact, it looked like Texas was set to host McDonald for a visit for the Iowa State game more than one week before he announced the offer.

Moreover, the versatility and insane physical tools that McDonald brings to the table make him a really intriguing potential addition to the Longhorns 2023 class. He would likely play at either nickel or linebacker. But there are a lot of options for the Texas staff if they were to flip the commitment of McDonald from the Pokes.

McDonald is currently the highest-rated commitment in Oklahoma State’s 2023 class. Texas has already flipped one commitment from the Pokes in three-star South Oak Cliff edge rusher Billy Walton. That shows what can happen when Texas puts this much attention on an Oklahoma State commit this year.