Breaking down the top uncommitted 2023 recruits in Texas

Only one state in the entire country — Florida — produces more elite high school football recruits than the state of Texas on an annual basis.

In the 2023 recruiting cycle, 52 of the country’s top 300 recruits (17.3%) call the Lone Star State home, which barely trails Florida (58) and outpaces California (20) by a big margin, despite having nine million fewer residents. Not only is the state a hotbed for local programs, but national powerhouses have made their mark inside the borders as well. This cycle, though, Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma have staked their claim in the state, landing commitments from nine of the top 15 prospects. Four of the remaining six are still uncommitted, with recruiting battles heating up over the next few months.

With the the help of the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), we break down the top uncommitted 2023 recruits in the state of Texas and which schools are making a push to land them.

5-star DL David Hicks

School: Katy Paetow
Consensus Ranking: No. 7
On3 NIL Valuation: $248K
On3 RPM: Oklahoma 75.6%, Texas A&M 18.5%, Miami 1.1%
The Skinny: David Hicks is the top player in the state this cycle, and his recruitment has reflected that. In addition to Texas A&M and Oklahoma, schools like Alabama, Miami and Oregon remain in the mix. But all signs point toward the Sooners making a major move with Hicks in recent weeks since his visit in July. OU has a couple of expert predictions in its favor at this point, but his recruitment isn’t expected to end until at least December.

4-star S Javien Toviano

School: Arlington Martin
Consensus Ranking: No. 36
On3 NIL Valuation: $181K
On3 RPM: LSU 39.0%, Texas A&M 14.9%, Texas 12.8%, Michigan 10.6%, Oklahoma 7.2%
The Skinny: Few recruits play things closer to the vest than Javien Toviano. He gives very little away in interviews, and he’s only made one official visit (to Michigan) to this point. LSU got him on campus at the end of July, and the Tigers have been trending upward. But with multiple officials left and no commitment date in sight, there are a number of schools still very much in it.

4-star WR Jalen Hale

School: Longview High
Consensus Ranking: No. 54
On3 NIL Valuation: $165K
On3 RPM: Alabama 50.7%, Texas 43.0%, Texas A&M 2.5%
The Skinny: It’s getting down to crunch time in the recruitment of Jalen Hale. After visiting Alabama last weekend, he’ll take his official visit to Texas beginning Saturday. Texas A&M still remains in the mix, but this appears to really be a two-team battle as his commitment on Sept. 22 nears. The Longhorns are pulling out all the stops this weekend, but it’s the Tide who have been trending recently.

4-star EDGE Jordan Renaud

School: Tyler Legacy
Consensus Ranking: No. 67
On3 NIL Valuation: $142K
On3 RPM: Alabama 96.5%, Oklahoma 2.1%
The Skinny: Jordan Renaud is down to just two schools — Alabama and Oklahoma — with a commitment date set for September 19. Both programs got him on campus in April for unofficial visits, and he returned to Alabama in June for an official. The Sooners will get the last crack at him though, with an official scheduled for this weekend, and he’ll be surrounded by Oklahoma commits who are expected to be on campus as well. The On3 RPM heavily favors the Crimson Tide, but the Sooners have a chance to make a strong final impression.

4-star OL Markis Deal

School: Garland Namaan Forest
Consensus Ranking: No. 103
On3 NIL Valuation: $109K
On3 RPM: Texas 81.3%, TCU 4.2%, USC 3.6%
The Skinny: Four-star offensive lineman Markis Deal is one of the prospects On3 is higher on than any other recruiting service, ranking him as the No. 58 player in the country. His recruitment has remained a bit of a mystery, though. He took a trio of official visits over the summer to TCU, USC and Arkansas, but it’s Texas who has hosted him the most — bringing him to campus more than a half-dozen times. The Longhorns are working to get him to Austin this weekend, according to Gerry Hamilton, which could be a very favorable sign.

4-star OL T.J. Shanahan

School: Austin Westlake
Consensus Ranking: No. 117
On3 NIL Valuation: $117K
On3 RPM: Texas A&M 94.3%, LSU 1.6%
The Skinny: On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power calls T.J. Shanahan “the definition of a road grader at the next level.” The 6-foot-4, 325-pound mauler has been one of Texas A&M’s top offensive line targets for the entire cycle, and the Aggies are trending in a big way after a pair of recent expert predictions in their favor.

4-star ATH Mikal Harrison-Pilot

School: Temple High
Consensus Ranking: No. 151
On3 NIL Valuation: $28K
On3 RPM: Texas 76.2%, TCU 6.3%, Cal 3.7%, Houston 2.3%
The Skinny: Few prospects in the 2023 cycle, regardless of state, are as versatile as Mikal Harrison-Pilot. Multiple schools are recruiting him to play defensive back and wide receiver, with Texas the foremost among them. The Longhorns hosted him in June and are expected to get him back on campus this weekend for the Alabama game. Texas likes him at wideout, as a fourth addition to its class that already includes Johntay Cook, Ryan Niblett and Jonah Wilson.