10 key Texas recruiting battles to watch this spring

With 50 players from the Lone Star State in the On300 and a majority of the players still uncommitted, Texas is clearly home to some of the most intense recruiting battles in the country. On3 breaks down the most important recruiting battles in the Lone Star State and gets the latest from Chad Simmons, Gerry Hamilton and Tim Verghese on where things stand in their recruitment.

Five-Star DL David Hicks

Allen (Texas) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 6
NIL Valuation: $19.7K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Oklahoma 50.3%, Texas A&M 47.9%, Notre Dame <1%, Ohio State <1%, Baylor <1%, Miami <1%, Oregon <1%
The Skinny: “Oklahoma and Texas A&M are two schools that are considered to have the best chance to land the On3 Consensus five-star David Hicks, as of today. The Sooners have a very strong relationship with Todd Bates to help the cause. Miami and Oregon are two schools farthest from home in the picture. Alabama is another program that is in the picture. The Texas Longhorns continue to pursue Hicks but are working from behind in the race. Hicks plans to announce his decision at the 2023 Under Armour All-America Game.” — On3 National Recruiting Analyst Gerry Hamilton

Five-Star LB Anthony Hill

Denton (Texas) Ryan
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 14
NIL Valuation: $27K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas A&M 36.8%, Texas 26.6%, Oklahoma 16.4%, USC 15.3%, Miami 2.6%, Oregon <1%
The Skinny: “Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma are locked into a contentious battle for Anthony Hill, with schools like Alabama, USC and Miami, among others still in the mix. Both the Aggies and Longhorns have hosted the five-star on multiple visits since the summer, with the Sooners coming on strong since the arrival of Brent Venables in Norman. Feels like the Sooners and Aggies have a step on the Longhorns as it stands, but with a timeline for a decision not clear right now, there’s still time for Texas, Alabama, USC and/or Miami to make up some serious ground.” — Tim Verghese of On3’s AggieScoop

Four-star RB Rueben Owens

El Campo (Texas) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 27
NIL Valuation: $31K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas 89.1%, Texas A&M 6.2%, Georgia 1.9%, USC <1%, Syracuse <1%
The Skinny: “Rueben Owens will make visits around the country, as he’s been doing throughout the spring. That has been expected. At the end of the day, Texas and Texas A&M are expected to be the last pair standing barring a change. This is a big recruitment for Longhorns running backs coach Tashard Choice, who had a previous relationship with Owens at Georgia Tech. Owens will visit Texas this weekend.” — Hamilton

Four-star CB Javien Toviano

Arlington (Texas) Martin
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 30
NIL Valuation: $24K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas 26.6%, Oklahoma 26.6%, LSU 9.3%, Texas A&M 9.3%
The Skinny: “Javien Toviano was considered a lean toward Oklahoma prior to Lincoln Riley taking the USC job. Since that time, the highly intelligent defensive back prospect has taken a big step back. Texas made a strong impression in late January and will likely get another shot in early April. Georgia is working to make a run, as is LSU. Oklahoma remains in the mix, along with Texas A&M.” — Hamilton

Four-star CB Bravion Rogers

La Grange (Texas) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 32
NIL Valuation: $8.8K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas 31.2%, Baylor 10.9%, TCU 10.9%, Oklahoma State 10.9%, LSU 10.9%, Oklahoma 10.9%, Alabama 10.9%
The Skinny: “A huge part of Bravion Rogers’recruitment will come down to if he wants to get away for his college experience. Rogers was a youth when J.K. Dobbins graduated from La Grange and went to Ohio State and tasted a lot of success. He was a small-town kid that wanted to go far from the small town to experience something different. Texas and TCU are working to make sure that doesn’t happen. If Rogers opts to follow in Dobbins’ footsteps, Alabama, LSU and USC are expected to have a good chance.” — Hamilton

Four-star CB Malik Muhammad

Dallas South Oak Cliff
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 41
NIL Valuation: $16.5K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Notre Dame 12.9%, Ohio State 12.9%, Alabama 12.9%, Miami 12.9%, LSU 12.9%
The Skinny: “Malik Muhammad, a 5-foot-11, 169-pound junior, has yet to officially cut his list down. He said recently that Alabama and Texas were in his ‘top five’ before coming back and saying ‘there is no true top five’ yet. Those two schools, along with Texas A&M appear to be in the best position to receive an official visit. But this recruitment feels about as wide open as anybody in the Lone Star State.” — On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons

Four-star WR Johntay Cook II

DeSoto (Texas) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 42
NIL Valuation: $60K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas 61.5%, Texas A&M 29.4%, LSU 7.2%, Alabama 1.1%, Michigan <1%
The Skinny: “Johntay Cook II’s recruitment feels down to Texas and Texas A&M, with schools like Ohio State, LSU and Michigan as three that could seriously enter the fold in the coming months. Cook has talked about teaming up with the aforementioned Owens and Five-Star Plus+ QB Arch Manning, and the Longhorns look to be the school for all three.

“However, he will make the decision that’s best for him and is watching the Aggies and Longhorns closely this fall to see if Texas A&M is able to throw the ball more and if Texas can close out games. A strong freshman campaign by friend and former 7-on-7 teammate Evan Stewart could see the Aggies win this one in a similar fashion to Stewart’s recruitment.” — Verghese

Four-star WR Jaquaize Pettaway

Houston Langham Creek
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 51
NIL Valuation: $14.4K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Oklahoma 5%, Texas  5%, LSU 5%, Ohio State 5%
The Skinny: “Jaquaize Pettaway is about as wide open as it gets at this point. Pettaway was supposed to visit Oklahoma in early March, but he wasn’t able to make it. He does plan to visit LSU, Texas, Oklahoma and Ohio State at some point. He could be in Austin this upcoming weekend or on April 2. Pettaway has a full schedule with track and a part-time job and also has had transportation issues making trips in the spring. That’s why summer visits will probably be important for him.” — Hamilton

Four-star WR Jalen Hale

Longview (Texas) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 62
NIL Valuation: $33K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas A&M 24.8%, Texas  24.8%, Georgia 8.7%, Oklahoma 8.7%, Alabama 8.7%
The Skinny: “Jalen Hale’s recruitment is wide open, with schools like USC, Alabama, Texas and Texas A&M as four with the most buzz right now. He already plans to take an official visit to Tuscaloosa and a recent visit to Georgia could see the Bulldogs surge in this recruitment down the line. If the Crimson Tide really push, it will be hard to beat Nick Saban and Co. in this one.” — Verghese

Four-star S Dalton Brooks

Shiner (Texas) High
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 63
NIL Valuation: $26K
On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine: Texas A&M 97.6%, Texas <1%, Georgia <1%, Oregon <1%, Alabama <1%, Michigan <1%
The Skinny: “Dalton Brooks is a lean toward Texas A&M entering the spring and summer visits. Alabama, Georgia, Oregon and Michigan are looking strong for official visits. The smaller college town environment but still close to home is a considerable draw for Brooks. Nick Saban told Brooks in a conversation a week ago to keep a level head throughout the process. Brooks recruitment will very likely play out until November or December.” — Hamilton