Texas Football: 3 biggest 2024 misses for Horns in recruiting this summer
Texas football missed out on one of its top in-state defensive back priorities in the 2024 recruiting class, the highly-touted four-star Lancaster (TX) safety Corian Gipson, to the Clemson Tigers on July 22. Gipson picked Clemson over Texas, and the Ohio State Buckeyes in a commitment ceremony live at Lancaster High School this weekend.
Two of the Longhorns’ top defensive back targets in the 2024 recruiting class entering the summer have committed elsewhere in the last couple of weeks.
First was the high-four-star Temple (TX) Lake Belton cornerback Selman Bridges, who picked the Arkansas Razorbacks over Texas and the TCU Horned Frogs on July 14. Gipson was the second Texas DB target in the 2024 class to commit elsewhere this month.
Texas wasn’t pushing as hard as Arkansas for the sizable 6-foot-4 CenTex cornerback prospect Bridges this summer. But whiffing on Gipson is a setback for the Longhorns’ defensive back recruiting efforts in the 2024 class.
Texas will turn to other top defensive back priorities in the 2024 class, such as the elite five-star Waco (TX) Connally cornerback Kobe Black, four-star Marrero (LA) John Ehret cornerback Wardell Mack, and four-star Missouri City (TX) Fort Bend Marshall safety Joshua Lair to round out the spots in the secondary.
Corian Gipson and Texas football’s biggest 2024 recruiting misses this summer
Here’s a look at three of the biggest recruiting misses for the Longhorns in the 2024 class so far.
Daniel Calhoun, OT
One of the top out-of-state priorities for offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and the Longhorns this summer along the offensive line was the high-four-star Marietta (GA) Walton OL Daniel Calhoun. The towering 6-foot-6 and 365-pound interior offensive lineman out of Georgia visited Texas twice since the spring, including an official trip on the weekend of June 23.
Flood and the Longhorns made a big move in this recruitment during the spring and early in the summer when Calhoun had a couple of successful visits to Austin in a span of three months. Texas tried to sell him on early playing time and utilize the connections that Flood and running backs coach Tashard Choice have in the southeast to win this recruitment.
But beating the Georgia Bulldogs in a trenches battle on the recruiting trail is never easy. Georgia landed Calhoun’s commitment over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers, and Texas on July 5.
It was impressive to see Flood, Choice, and the Longhorns make as much progress as they did in this recruitment. The fact that Texas was even in consideration among top schools to land Calhoun this summer is a testament to the moves Flood and Choice are making on the recruiting trail.
Texas is currently trying to win a big-time recruitment for its top out-of-state priority at offensive tackle in the 2024 class, five-star Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei product Brandon Baker. Flood has the Longhorns in a good spot with Baker, as they are duking it out with the Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes to land the nation’s top-ranked offensive tackle recruit in the 2024 class.