Texas Football: Longhorns Recruiting Wish List for Running Backs in 2021
Perhaps no other position group on the Texas Longhorn football team has more depth than running back.
The Longhorns bring back Keaontay Ingram, who is coming off a strong finish to 2019 and Roschon Johnson who has made his move to running back permanent.
Behind them true freshman Bijan Robinson was the No. 1 running back in the 2020 class. He'll challenge for immediate playing time right off the bat.
Texas doesn't have a running back committed for the 2021 class, but there is no shortage of talent in the high school ranks.
Here's a list of Texas' top running back targets for 2021.
Targets
Camar Wheaton, Garland
Wheaton is the No. 1 running back, No. 2 player in the state of Texas and No. 18 overall prospect in the 2021 class according to 247Sports. He has offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and most other blueblood schools.
Watching his film: Five star players are supposed to pop on film and Wheaton's film certainly pops. He's rushed for 419 yards in a single game last year and is virtually unstoppable at the high school level. He's got track speed with a 10.67 100-yard dash, and he's already powerful enough to run through arm tackles. His short-range acceleration makes defenders look like they are standing still at times. As long as he stays healthy it's hard to not see Wheaton playing right away at whatever school lands him.
Where Texas stands: The Longhorns got a visit from Wheaton last week and everything seemed to go well. Some believe Oklahoma has the current edge when it comes to Wheaton's recruiting, but with so many big names out and about trying to impress the five-star back the situation could change from day to day when he gets back out and continues his visits.
L.J. Johnson, Cy Fair
At 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds, this power back is the No. 4 running back, No. 7 player in the state of Texas and No. 51 overall prospect according to 247Sports. He holds offers from Georgia, LSU, Stanford and Oklahoma among many others.
Watching his film: Johnson has been clocked at 4.42 in the 40-yard dash and it shows when you watch him play. His speed makes him a homerun threat, and his power will make him an every-down back at the next level. He runs low and uses every bit of his 200-plus pounds to run through arm tackles and bounce off defenders. He has great hands coming out of the backfield and runs crisp routes for a young running back.
Where Texas stands: The usual suspects are all involved in Johnson's recruitment with Georgia, LSU, Stanford, Texas and Texas A&M looking to be in the nearly lead. There are a lot of moving pieces Johnson's recruiting that are partially tied to Wheaton with many of the same names on the top of both backs' list of favorite schools. Johnson has academics high on his priority list, which should be an advantage for Texas.
Texas has offered five other backs including TreVeyon Henderson (Hopewell, Virginia), Donovan Edwards (West Bloomfield, Michigan), Phil Mafah (Loganville, Georgia), Brandon Campbell (Lamar Consolidated High School) and Jonothon Brooks (Halletsville High School). The Longhorns are high on all of their offers, but Texas is clearly hoping to get one of the two blockbuster backs in the state this year.
