Texas Football: 5 key recruits impressed by the spring game

A big weekend on the Forty Acres was headlined by the annual Orange-White spring football game for the Texas football program and head coach Steve Sarkisian at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on April 15. Texas got to take part in some form of live-game action at DKR for the first time in front of the fans since last fall in the regular season finale win on Black Friday over the Baylor Bears.

Sark and the Longhorns saw the White Team top the Orange Team in the spring game this year by a score of 21-10.

It was nice to see a lot of new additions to the program for the Longhorns make their debuts in some sort of live-game action this weekend. But that was far from the only important storyline for the Longhorns football program in the last couple of days.

Texas also hosted more than a dozen priority recruits in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 classes in the midst of the spring game festivities this weekend. This was a good opportunity for the Texas coaches and players to make a real impression on some of the top recruits in the next few classes.

Priority visiting recruits Texas football impressed during the spring game this weekend

With that in mind, here’s a look at five key recruits the Longhorns impressed during the spring game this weekend.

Bear Tenney, TE

A talented blue-chip tight end recruit to watch this offseason in the 2025 class for the Longhorns is the highly touted four-star Lucas (TX) Lovejoy product Bear Tenney. The 6-foot-5 and 230-pound 2025 tight end recruit just moved from Gilbert, AZ, to Lovejoy, TX, which is a factor that should help the Longhorns in this recruitment.

Texas was already a player in this recruitment prior to when Tenney’s family made the move from Arizona to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex this offseason. But getting him just a few hours north of Austin can only help Texas from here on out.

Tenney made his first unofficial trip since Texas offered last fall for the spring game in Austin this weekend. And it sounds like special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks and the Longhorns knocked this one out of the park for Tenney and his family.

Tenney was active on social media during his visit to Austin for the Orange-White Game on April 15. He posted some pictures of him in the Texas gear and one with Banks during his visit.

The post-spring game reaction piece from Justin Wells of Inside Texas on April 16 (paid content) included only positive feedback from the rising junior Lucas High School tight end. Tenney mentioned that the “spring game was awesome” and that he “loved how Banks uses his tight ends”.

It also sounds like junior Texas tight end JT Sanders is a player that stands out to Tenney, saying that he likes “his play style”.

Texas looks to be in a good spot in this recruitment coming out of Tenney’s first visit to the 40 during the spring game. But there is still a long way to go and Banks and this staff must continue to build on this relationship now that Tenney is so close to Austin after the move to Lovejoy.