Texas Football: Evaluating 3 new UT offers from Junior Day

The first big Junior Day festivities of the 2024 offseason for Texas football were held this weekend. On Jan. 20, Texas and head coach Steve Sarkisian hosted what looked to be over 100 visiting recruits from the 2025, 2026, and 2027 classes.

Among the top visiting recruits for Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff this weekend were multiple five-star prospects from the 2025 and 2026 classes.

Texas football extends multiple offers to key visitors during Junior Day

Some of the most recognizable recruits from the 2025 and 2026 classes that made it to Austin for Junior Day this weekend were five-star Duncanville edge rusher Kevin Ford Jr., Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei four-star running back Jordon Davison, and five-star McKinney (TX) linebacker Riley Pettijohn.

But many of the important visiting recruits for the Longhorns for Junior Day on Jan. 20 hadn't received offers from Texas yet. That was one of the big storylines to watch for Sarkisian and staff this weekend was to see which visitors Texas offered, namely from the 2025 and 2026 classes.

Here is a breakdown of three of the top new offers for the Longhorns from Junior Day on Jan. 20.

Rickey Stewart Jr., RB (SMU commit)

The only new Texas offer on this list that is currently committed to another school is the highly touted four-star Tyler (TX) Chapel Hill running back and SMU Mustangs pledge Rickey Stewart Jr. Stewart announced on his Twitter/X account on the afternoon of Junior Day that he received his offer from Sarkisian and the Longhorns.

Stewart is a potential riser in the national recruiting rankings to watch during spring evaluations. He is a quick and elusive 5-foot-10 and 180-pound running back from East Texas.

SMU was in on this recruitment pretty early as the Mustangs were the second FBS school that offered Stewart roughly two years ago. Stewart committed to SMU. But he's received many offers and had heightened interest from top Power Five programs since he committed to SMU last June.

In the last year, he's received offers from the Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, Oregon Ducks, Ole Miss Rebels, and now Texas.

Stewart told Inside Texas before the Junior Day visit that an offer from the Longhorns would be a game-changer. Texas is now a school to watch in this recruitment after RB coach Tashard Choice visited his high school earlier this week, and now that he has a Longhorns offer in hand.