Steve Sarkisian swings for the fences with 5-star WR Brysen Wright, but falls short

After losing five-star wide receiver Easton Royal from their recruiting class of 2027, the Texas Longhorns set their sights on five-star wideout Brysen Wright, the No. 1 receiver and No. 3 overall prospect from the class of 2028.

The Horns just had one (or two, technically) big hurdle in front of them: Wright is a Florida native and also held offers from his home-state teams, the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators.

Despite those powerhouse, in-state programs working to pull him in their way, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff worked their tails off to make the 40 Acres look as attractive as possible as an out-of-state option.

And it was paying off, with the Longhorns as one of the final three programs under consideration for Wright's future team. However, when Wright announced his commitment on Thursday, Nov. 5, it looked like even those exhaustive efforts had fallen short as the blue-chip wide receiver committed to the Canes, leaving the Horns and the Gators in the dust.

With his family surrounding him, Wright opened a briefcase filled to the brim with Miami-themed diamond chains to celebrate the decision. After he said a few words, Wright placed a "U" hat atop his head as each of his family members donned Miami shirts and gear.

Rubbing salt in the wound of missing out on his commitment was the fact that he simultaneously announced his reclassification to the 2027 cycle, meaning he will join the Hurricanes next season, instead of in a year and a half.

Texas needs a renewed effort to find a blue-chip wideout in class of 2028

So far, the Horns have landed just two commitments from the 2028 recruiting cycle: four-star quarterback Neimann Lawrence and four-star running back Micah Rhodes.

To put it lightly, a commitment from Wright would have been the perfect cherry on top of a class that was already shaping up to include a dominant offensive front.

Now, Sarkisian and the Longhorns will have to adjust and realign their efforts to find another prized wide receiver from the recruiting cycle. The best news? There are a lot of options still uncommitted, including four-star wideout Jaylen Addai, who is a native of none other than the Lone Star State:

• Jaylen Addai, four-star wide receiver (No. 2 in 2028) -- Pearland, TX -- uncommitted
• Braylon Clark, four-star wide receiver (No. 4 in 2028) -- Charlotte, NC -- uncommitted
• Joshua Parker, four-star wide receiver (No. 5 in 2028) -- Brandon, MS -- uncommitted
• Madoxx Davis, four-star wide receiver (No. 6 in 2028) -- Cartersville, GA -- uncommitted

And those four are just a few of the top prospects at the position who have yet to commit to a program. However, all of them hold dozens of offers, including offers from most, if not all, of their home-state teams.

Simply put, Sarkisian and the entire Texas recruiting staff are going to have to continue putting their full effort into attracting (and keeping) the top prospects in the nation, or the Longhorns could go without a true top-tier wide receiver for yet another year.

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