Texas Football Struggles, But Recruiting Shines In Year 1 For Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian was brought into Texas for change. So far, he's lost on the field following a 5-7 season.
Recruiting wise? He's won. Yeah, the world isn't ending on the Forty Acres just yet.
Texas is expected to secure a top 10 recruiting class in Sarkisian's first season despite a lackluster debut under his direction in Year 1. Early Signing Period arrives on Dec. 15, and the Horns are in the driver's seat to move up the rankings even higher.
That started Saturday by securing offensive tackle Kelvin Banks to its roster. Banks, a former Oregon commit, ranks No. 25 on SI99's list, and is the No. 2 rated tackle, trailing only Carver's Elijah Pritchett (Alabama).
The addition of Banks now has Texas with the top class in the Big 12. Should Texas secure the commit of highly-touted Quinn Ewers, the Longhorns are likely pushing top-five by Wednesday evening.
Despite a six-game losing streak mid-year, falling flat in the second half of games, and seemingly losing the locker room, Sarkisian is impressing. He impressed with his offensive innovation during his tenure at Alabama as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator.
The only area he impressed perhaps more was on the recruiting trail. In both years, the Crimson Tide finished with top-three classes.
“I think at the end of the day, recruiting is about, you know, there’s got to be some foresight into where we’re going as a program, the belief in what we do and how we do it,” Sarkisian said last month. “I think we build great relationships with the players we’re recruiting. You know, clearly, nobody likes to lose, right? But I think there is some aspect of potential moving forward. And I think that the recruits see that.”
Texas' focus has been to build the offensive line. Banks is one name that had been on the radar for days. The Horns also added the verbal commits of Frisco's Cole Hutson, Duncanville's Cameron Williams, and Westlake's Connor Robertson.
Texas is still in play for Bowie's Devon Campbell (No.22) and Atascocita's Kam Dewberry (No. 78), both of who are expected to play inside. Campbell has offers across the country. Dewberry is expected to choose between three schools, including Oklahoma.
Banks could have decided to head to Austin over College Station and Texas A&M due to the new NIL deal sponsored by Horns with Heart, a non-profit organization that claims the Horns as their team. Labeled "The Pancake Factory", all offensive linemen on scholarship will receive $50,000 for their services.
Banks will be headed to his namesake soon a tad richer. Sarkisian said he hopes to have as many offensive linemen as he can to strengthen the trenches in 2022.
“If you want to settle on linemen, we could probably get five linemen by tonight,” Sarkisian said. “But if you if you want to recruit the best players, and you want to put together a line for your future that is something that is upper echelon, upper-tier in the country, we’ve got to recruit the best players
Another position of need has been depth at linebacker. Texas will have to too under Sarkisian in Year 2. Lubbock-Cooper's Kobie McKinzie and Arlington Martin's Trevell Johnson have verbally committed. Cypress' Harold Perkins (No.37) is still in the running, but Texas A&M is also making a ploy.
Then, there's Ewers. Texas doesn't need a QB commit for the class, as Maalik Murphy of Junipero Serra (Calif.) is already committed to the program. Murphy ranks No. 54 on SI99's list and is the No. 7 QB prospect.
Prior to reclassifying and heading to Ohio State, Ewers was No. 2 on the list, trailing only Westlake's Cade Klubnik (Clemson). Ewers was also initially a Texas commit prior to the firing of Tom Herman last winter.
Sarkisian has been clear about opening the QB competition next season. Should Ewers commit, likely Casey Thompson or Hudson Card enters the transfer portal. Thompson started 10 games and looked to be more consistent, but Card could have more upside.
Currently, Texas has five of SI99's top recruits. The additions of names such as Ewers, Dewberry, Campbell, Perkins and others would put them near Alabama, Georgia territory.
Sarkisian's first season on the field was a disaster. In recruiting, its been on fire. And somewhere in the middle is where Texas must be should they hope of being "back" for good.
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