Texas hosting two five-stars for crucial official visits this weekend

Two of Texas‘ top targets in the 2024 cycle are Duncanville (Texas) Five-Star Plus+ EDGE Colin Simmons and Waco (Texas) Connally five-star cornerback Kobe Black. Both of them will be in Austin this weekend for big official visits, Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas said on the On3 Roundtable.

Both players are being pursued by some of the top programs in the country. For Simmons, that includes Texas, Miami, LSU and Alabama.

The Longhorns are currently pushing hard for Simmons, the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 1 EDGE in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. They are hoping to keep the No. 1 player in Texas in the Lone Star State for his college football career.

“The entire staff, Steve Sarkisian, Jeff Banks, everybody’s involved in this recruitment,” Hamilton said. “I do think his mom and little brother are going to play into this one long-term and that’s why I’m going to stick with close to home, whether that’s Texas or LSU. I think Texas has got a puncher’s chance in this. The one thing Colin Simmons knows looking at the University of Texas is that the EDGE/pass rush position is the one position that may be lacking. So he knows he can come in as the alpha male he is and be a true difference maker off the EDGE at Texas.”

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At the moment, Texas has a commanding lead to get a commitment from Black, the No. 22 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback in the On3 Industry Ranking. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Longhorns’ chance to land him is currently at 91.8%.

Multiple schools are competing with Texas for Black’s pledge, such as LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma. If the Longhorns are able to keep him in-state, it would mark a big addition to Texas’ 2024 recruiting class.

“The question is, ‘Can Texas get this to the finish line before Kobe Black makes that official visit to LSU?'” Hamilton said. “I do think Texas is in a good position, but the interesting thing is they took a corner last week in Santana Wilson. What if Corian Gipson wants to commit to Texas early in July before Black’s ready to make a decision? Could the numbers game affect Texas? Wardell Mack, one of the top corners in the country, is in town this weekend for an official visit too. It’ll be interesting to see where Texas goes at corner and if they can get these top targets in the same class.”