Longhorns Commit Payton Kirkland Calls Kyle Flood ‘Best Oline Developer in College Football’
Orlando (FL) offensive tackle Payton Kirkland was one of the biggest surprise commitments the Texas Longhorns have ever received. He chose the Longhorns without stepping foot on their campus. He also excluded them from his top five group.
Kirkland was on scene in Orlando for Cedric Baxter’s decision, the number one running back in the 2023 SI99. Kirkland witnessed his future teammate give his pledge to the Longhorns.
Longhorns Country caught up with Kirkland following Baxter’s announcement.
To fans, the Longhorns seemed to swoop in at the last minute and grab Kirkland’s commitment, but Kirkland has always thought highly of the Longhorns due to the impact of coach Kyle Flood.
“I believe he’s the best oline developer in college football and other guys do too,” Kirkland said of coach Flood. "He kind of proved that with this last oline class, Kelvin Banks, Devon Campbell, Malik Agbo, Cameron Williams, and all those guys. We’re just looking to do the same thing this year that we did last year and bring a national championship back to Austin.”
Opportunities for playing time at Texas will not come easy for the 2023 offensive line class. Texas signed the top offensive line class in the nation a cycle ago. Many of the names mentioned by Kirkland are already making an impact in fall camp. Kelvin Banks, Devon Campbell, and Cameron Williams are rapidly ascending the Longhorns’ depth chart.
Kirkland is not worried about playing time. Instead, he is excited for the future of the offensive line and is ready to compete. When he announced his decision, he became the fifth offensive line commit for Steve Sarkisian in the 2023 class, joining Jaydon Chatman, Connor Stroh, Andre Cojoe, and Trevor Goosby.
“Coach Sark, he’s a real guy,” Kirkland continued. “He shoots you straight, and he’s very passionate about what he does, I can tell you that. The same way he is in recruiting is probably the same way he is on the field and off the field. He’s a very energetic guy, a very loving coach. I feel like guys gravitate towards him because of that. He has a great spirit and a great heart, and that’s way more important to being a ball coach.”
Kirkland took his first visit to Austin during the July BBQ pool party. He will be back for an official visit on Sept. 10th for the Alabama game.
“It’s beautiful,” Kirkland said of UT's campus. “I really do enjoy being there. It’s a great environment. I love that it’s in the city. The people are just amazing. The people make the place, the place doesn’t make the people, and that’s why I was able to commit without taking a visit.”
Kirkland quickly shot down the notion of taking visits elsewhere.
“Absolutely not, only to Texas.”
Kirkland is coming to Austin with a message to Longhorn Nation:
"We’re bringing a national championship to Austin. Expect great things from this program. Expect nothing but the best from all of us."
The success Sarkisian has seen on the recruiting trail paints a hopeful picture for the future of Texas football. They must field a desirable product this season to sustain that recruiting success. The Longhorns will start the season at home on Sept. 3rd against UL-Monroe.
You can follow Michael Gresser on Twitter @gresser_michael
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