Texas freshmen not named Arch Manning who could make early impact

There is no doubt that Arch Manning is the biggest name in the 2023 Texas football recruiting class. But the Longhorns signed plenty of other talented players who could make an immediate impact this fall.

Inside Texas recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton recently appeared on the On3 Roundtable and broke down which freshmen are ready to help Texas right away after the Longhorns signed the No. 3 recruiting class in the country for 2023.

Hamilton started on the defensive side of the ball.

“Anthony Hill, linebacker, On3 Industry ranking five-star. He had a great spring, an early enrollee. There’s a lot of talk in Austin he’s going to start at the Will linebacker spot from Day 1,” Hamilton said. “That would be a rarity, obviously, but Kelvin Banks did do that at left tackle a year ago. So Anthony Hill is one.”

Hill was a five-star prospect and the No. 16 overall player in the country for the class of 2023.

Sticking with defense, Hamilton mentioned a defensive back next.

“Malik Muhammad, the corner out of South Oak Cliff had a tremendous spring. A natural coverage guy that plays physically against the run,” Hamilton said. “He’ll really come up in run support, which is, I think, the bell he had to answer, because everybody knew he was talented in coverage.”

Muhammad was a four-star prospect and a top-50 overall recruit in the class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry rankings.

Hamilton went back to linebacker for the final defender he believes will be an immediate impact guy.

“Liona Lefau, linebacker out of Hawaii, another early enrollee. I mean Texas had 14, I believe, early enrollees. Some of these guys had really good springs,” Hamilton said. “Lefau is a natural in coverage at the linebacker position. That could get him on the field, because Texas is a little thin at depth at linebacker.”

Lefau was a three-star prospect in the class of 2023 and the No. 39 linebacker in the country.

As for the offensive side of the ball, Hamilton believes some skill players will come in and help right away. He started with a pair of highly-rated receivers.

“You have the receivers, Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore,” Hamilton said. “DeAndre Moore is a tremendous route runner. Natural hands, snatches the ball in traffic. Johntay Cook is that explosive guy that has something coming in and out of breaks that maybe only Xavier Worthy has in the program.”

Cook was a five-star recruit in the class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry rankings. Moore was ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 110 overall player in the country.

Hamilton closed out the freshmen he believes will help right away with five-star running back CJ Baxter, who was the top running back in the country for last season.

“Cedric Baxter had a good spring getting his feet wet. He’s really advanced in pass protection, which I think is key for a freshman running back. He catches the ball well. He’s got some leadership stuff I saw at Edgewater High School on my visits there last year, which gives him the chance to make an impact,” Hamilton said. “It’s more than just taking a handoff. It’s being in the room, being a leader, answering the bell physically, catching the ball and pass protection. I think Cedric Baxter is going to answer those questions early.”

Texas lost its top two running backs from last season to the NFL, including first-round pick Bijon Robinson. Baxter will be counted on to help make up for some of that lost production.

“Cedric Baxter is gonna have to have an impact. Kind of like Anthony Hill, Bijon Robinson is gone. Roschon Johnson is gone,” Hamilton said. “Bijon, you didn’t even have to block a play for him to get 10 yards last year. That’s different this year. So Jonathon Brooks, Cedric Baxter, I think are going to combine to share that load at running back.”