Get to know 2023 Texas commit Colton Vasek
Whether you’re a diehard recruiting fan in need of a refresher or a casual fan in need of only the particulars, this will be the series for you.
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The first national signing period for college football runs from December 21-23. That puts it a week later than normal, which allows you even more time to familiarize yourself with the next class charged with helping restore Texas back to national prominence.
The preceding 2022 class is already off to a good start, but the way to win at a consistently high level is to stack talented class after talented class. At all times you need young players developing, creating competition, and providing valuable depth before becoming quality starters.
The top 5 contending 2023 class is just what Texas needed after the top 5 2022 class.
In the lead-up to NSD1, Inside Texas will offer profiles of each member of the 2023 signing class.
Next up, Colton Vasek
The Player: Colton Vasek, EDGE, Austin (Texas) Westlake, 6-foot-6, 230 pounds
The Rating: 94.16, On3 Consensus four-star
The Ranking:
The Recruitment: Vasek, a Texas legacy who played his high school ball minutes from the Forty Acres, released a top five in June of Oregon, Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Texas. Each weekend in June saw him visit one of his finalists, with a mid-week official to Texas sandwiched between his Oklahoma and Oregon trips. He committed to Oklahoma on August 1, but the Longhorns kept recruiting the Central Texas standout. He took in Texas’ 49-0 Red River victory as a guest of the Sooners, then saw Texas top Iowa State in Austin not too long after. By then, the writing was on the wall and on November 8 he flipped his commitment to Texas.
The Projection: Vasek is a clear candidate for Jack but could see time at Buck early in his career. He brings a mature physicality and skill set to what will eventually be a long, well-portioned build for the position.
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The Reasoning: “I’ve grown up a UT fan my entire life. When I went to see the OU vs. Texas game as an OU recruit, it just really didn’t feel right to me at all. Deep down I wanted to be playing for the team wearing burnt orange. After that game, I really just started thinking about all of the opportunities and things I would have outside of football with being from Austin already, because at the end of the day I want to build my legacy in the state of Texas, and live in Texas when I’m older. Getting to stay close with my family was also huge for me. I know that I’ll always be able to get to them whenever I need to.” – Vasek to On3’s Hayes Fawcett in November
The Relationship: “Texas has always stood out to me. I really love what Texas has got going on right now and I think they’re getting things turned around. I 100% believe in Coach (Pete Kwiatkowski) and Coach (Bo) Davis to develop me into the best player I can be.” – Vasek to On3’s Hayes Fawcett in November
The Education: Business
The Enrollment: Vasek will enroll in January.
The Final Word: There was a sense early in Vasek’s recruitment that he wanted to get away from Austin to branch out and blaze his own trail, with three of his five finalists being out of state schools and another (Texas Tech) being almost seven hours away. Oklahoma won his commitment, but poor defensive showings from the Sooners plus Texas’ dogged efforts were enough to make him not only reconsider, but switch his commitment to the Longhorns. Credit Arch Manning and the rest of Texas’ 2023 class for helping Davis, Kwiatkowski, and Steve Sarkisian pull off the rare OU-to-Texas flip.
Series:
Connor Stroh, OL, Frisco (Texas) Wakeland
Johntay Cook, WR, Desoto (Texas)
Will Randle, TE, New Orleans (La.) Isidore Newman
Trevor Goosby, OL, Melissa (Texas)
Derion Gullette, EDGE/LB, Teague (Texas)
Spencer Shannon, TE, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Andre Cojoe, OL, Mansfield (Texas) Timberview
Billy Walton, EDGE, Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff
Cedric Baxter, RB, Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater
Jaydon Chatman, OL, Killeen (Texas) Harker Heights
Malik Muhammad, CB, Dallas (Texas) South Oak Cliff
Sydir Mitchell, DL, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic
