Steve Sarkisian calls defensive signees 'a great haul'

Texas Longhorns signing day was headlined by the signing of the No. 1 recruit in the nation Arch Manning, but they also had a strong signing day on the defensive side of the ball. The Longhorns signed 10 defensive players in their 2023 class, and head coach Steve Sarkisian is excited about each and every one of them.

“This is a great haul, when you start looking at the safety, the corner, the linebacking core, the edge position, the interior defensive lineman, every one of these guys I’m extremely excited about, because I think they’re going to have a real impact in our program,” Sarkisian said.

Texas’ top defensive signing was five-star Anthony Hill, a 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker from Ryan high school in Denton, Texas. Hill is ranked the No. 1 linebacker in the country and the No. 15 overall prospect according to On3 Consensus, and is only 17 years old but has the potential to make an early impact on the Longhorn defense.

The Longhorns also signed two of the nation’s top five ranked defensive backs in safety Derek Williams and cornerback Malik Muhammad, who rank No. 3 and No. 5 at their respective positions nationally. They also signed a trio of elite edge players in Colton Vasek, Tausili Akana, and Derion Gullette, each of which ranks within the top 25 at the EDGE position in the country and bring great size to the table for Texas.

Texas’ defense took a big leap last season as a unit, which is part of the reason why Sarkisian believes they were able to have such a strong signing class on that side of the ball, and it will definitely be interesting to see which of the latest defensive signees can make an immediate impact.

Jeff Banks highlights Arch Manning, other incoming freshmen as immediate impact players

National Letters of Intent have begun to roll in on Wednesday morning, with Texas bringing in some of the best prospects in the country. Steve Sarkisian is looking to secure back-to-back top-five classes per the On3 Consensus.

Of course, assistant coaches are just as important in the recruiting process and one of the best is Jeff Banks. While Banks is the tight ends/special teams coach, he has his hand in most of the Longhorns’ high-level recruitments.

He has a pre-signing relationship with most prospects and already thinks three could have an immediate impact once joining the program.

“The Arch Mannings, the Derek Williams‘, and the Johntay Cooks have an opportunity to come in and play and play at a high level,” Banks said on Longhorn Network.

Manning is the biggest name in Texas’ class and arguably the country. He has Five-Star Plus+ status, being rated a five-star prospect by all four major recruiting media services. Additionally, he is the No. 1 player on the On3 Consensus.

Quinn Ewers is still projected to be the starting quarterback in Austin next year but it’s tough to not be excited about Manning. He is going to be redshirting and take a year to develop under Sarkisian before hitting the ground running in the 2024 season.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report