Texas Longhorns Football Recruiting Class of 2023 Superlatives
Better late than never?
The Texas Longhorns of course were not done with the class of 2023 until beyond February 1's National Signing Day, adding the verbal commitment flip and signature of blue-chip safety recruit Warren Roberson on Tuesday. The longtime TCU commitment rounds out a strong secondary haul and appears to be the final piece to the 2023 haul barring a late spring surprise from No. 1 tight end recruit Duce Robinson.
The total class, standing at 25 signees, ranks No. 3 nationally in both the On3 Consensus and 247Sports Composite measure, headlined of course by five-star quarterback Arch Manning. Beyond the NFL legacy, though, there are strong wins, instant-impact players and much more in navigating the class.
Longhorns Country dishes out its class superlatives for the class (while not repeating a player in the process).
Best Get: Arch Manning
Was there any doubt? Going head to head with Nick Saban and Kirby Smart, among many others, for the most famous football recruit of the modern era and winning it spoke volumes last June when the decision went public and still holds plenty of weight with Manning on campus for good. It may not show up on the field until 2024, provided Quinn Ewers holds off the freshman phenom, but over the long stretch of his UT career and certainly from a buzz, notoriety and recruiting standpoint -- the Manning win was as banner as it gets in the business.
Honorable Mention: Johntay Cook
Most Needed: Cedric Baxter
The Florida native was in the mix for best get, especially considering he was once a Florida State commitment and the Seminoles got one of the last visits of his recruitment before signing day, but the skillset and positional fit he brings to the UT backfield measures higher in our mind. No. 5 is moving on to the NFL and many feel like Baxter, a big, three-down back with gaudy production to his name as an upperclassman, can contend for critical snaps as early as 2023. Should he grasp the offense sooner rather than later, the running back pipeline at UT should be alive and well with a theoretical torched passed along the way.
Honorable Mention: Sydir Mitchell
Highest Ceiling: Malik Muhammad
Length, athleticism, fluidity and ball-hawking production all scream early impact for the in-state cornerback. Muhammad flashes as well as any defensive prospect, not just within secondary projections, as any in the class of 2023 and he does so against elite competition while working a premium position. Should his frame continue to fill out and he add more technical polish while working on the island, he could become the defensive star of a star-studded defensive class. Muhammad capped his prep career with a state championship defensive MVP performance, so we see him hitting the ground running in college.
Honorable Mention: Tausili Akana
Surprise! Payton Kirkland
When one has a top-five and makes a commitment to a program not on the list, to which a prospect has yet to visit as a recruit -- this pick is easy. Kirkland's famous sight-unseen verbal commitment was covered as more of a unique story than great recruiting get, but the Orlando native is a massive and versatile line prospect who could project to any non-center spot along the UT offensive front of the future. One could see why Kyle Flood reciprocated Kirkland's last-second interest in UT despite being projected anywhere from Oklahoma to Miami or even Florida at one time prior.
Honorable Mention: DeAndre Moore Jr.
Flipmode: Colton Vasek
Satisfying needs is critical in any recruiting class, but the late get of the local pass rusher hit different after he was committed to rival Oklahoma. When Vasek originally picked the Sooners, it was a recruitment that would profile nationally as one of the biggest upsets of the entire cycle. Winning the pledge of the Austin native back, as his stock rose during a banner senior season (finished with 14 sacks) in the fall, completed the full-circle recruitment. A couple other Austin-Westlake starts like Jaden Greathouse (Notre Dame) and TJ Shanahan (Texas A&M) ended up elsewhere, so keeping one blue-chipper home from the bunch was critical for optics if nothing else. Naturally, edge was the biggest need for Texas in this class.
Honorable Mention: Warren Roberson
Day 1 Ready: Anthony Hill
Big, physical and seemingly college-ready for a couple of years heading into college, the highest non-Manning floor in this Texas class may belong to Hill. Beyond the build and natural athleticism, there is strong polish in the in-stater's game. Hill plays within himself, versus both the run and the pass, with the type of understanding of positioning and leverage that could warrant immediate playing time in 2023. Confident working downhill, especially, Hill is also an instinctive blitzer with a nose for efficient angles to the quarterback or ball carrier in his path.
Honorable Mention: Derek Williams
Super Sleeper: Liona Lefau
How many linebackers are entering the collegiate game with experience at wide receiver? The Hawaiian is listed at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds and there are samples of spatial awareness and ball skills while working both sides of the football, ideal for the modern three-down linebacker. Of course, it also comes with body control and enough juice to create separation, the type of athleticism that makes for volume tackling while working the second level. Lefau is strong downhill, even better within the blitz and plays with enough leverage to compensate somewhat below-average build. It may be on special teams initially, but he's got eventual contributor written all over him.
Honorable Mention: Connor Stroh
Biggest Miss: Reuben Owens
Even though many view Baxter as an upgrade in overall skillset from Owens, losing a longtime in-state commitment once viewed as the foundation of the recruiting class hurts -- especially when he ends up in College Station. The once-thought-of trio of Manning, Cook and Owens was the dream scenario for most Texas fans from an offensive skill standpoint, though again the class ended up elite from that standpoint anyway.
Honorable Mention: Hunter Osborne
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