Michael January, former Longhorn LB and father of UT commit Alex January, talks legacy, recruiting, the future

In the latest On Texas Football, Michael January, a former Longhorn linebacker and father of 2024 Texas commit Alex January, joins the show to talk about the recruiting process, his perspective on the Longhorn program, what Alex’s best attributes are, and much more.

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Michael January, who played for Fred Akers and David McWilliams in the 1980s, saw his son Alex commit to Texas earlier in July. Michael relayed he’s excited about where Texas is heading under Steve Sarkisian.

“I’m excited about the program and the direction it’s going,” January said. “It seems to be moving in the right direction. Coaches really seem to be coaching up the kids a lot more than what we’ve seen in the past. I’m excited about that. I’m excited about Alex playing for Bo (Davis). Bo has been around for a long time and does a really good job with the kids. I’m looking forward to his development and learning from Bo.”

January was asked about how Sarkisian and his staff have surged in recruiting the Dallas-Fort Worth area after previous staffs struggled in that region. January saw a perception change with the Longhorns in the Metroplex.

“The conversations that take place with parents, we’re in the stands at camps and whatnot, I think people are talking more about Texas than I’ve seen them talk about Texas in a long time,” January said.

Michael went into the reasons Alex picked Texas and why his family signed off on the decision.

“We were looking for stability, for starters,” January said. “We had other schools we were engaged with, some of which had a little bit of turnover. Being from Louisiana, LSU was a big draw for us. Literally, we’re the only people from our families that are in Texas. Everyone else is from Louisiana. That’s why LSU had made some sense for us in terms of looking for a place to go.

“Bo Davis, for us, added some consistency. Obviously, the draw of our family at the University of Texas made a lot of sense. Austin and Alex have been going to games since they were children. I’ve been a season ticket holder for… I don’t even know anymore. It’s hard to say you’re not going to go somewhere when you’ve been living it your whole life.”

January offered a former player’s point of view on what he’s seen from the program. He also noted what he’s seen change in recruiting since his playing days.

“I went on every single (official visit) on my own,” January said. “I don’t know when it changed or how it changed, but you see kids coming in now with uncles and grandparents and parents. They dropped me off at the airport at Lake Charles with no cell phone. You were supposed to arrive at this time when you’re coming back, and they’d pick you up. To me, I can’t even imagine not going on a visit with my son. That’s kind of the way it was back then, and people accepted it for what it was.

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The prestige of a Texas degree was a major factor for the January family.

“When we visited Texas, and I can speak to it more today than I could ever have, was when you graduate from the University of Texas, it carries some weight,” January said. “It carries some weight in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It carries weight in Houston. It carries weight in Waco. There’s Texas Exes all over the United States. I watch how we work when we have an athlete that loses the job because of layoffs or this and that, I watch how this inner cercle works to get that person employed again. That’s just from an athletic perspective. When you look at it from the overarching University of Texas umbrella, that’s a big deal. Texas speaks to that on the official visit.”

January talks about his son’s strengths and weaknesses. Alex has great hand placement but has room to grow on get-off, per his father. Michael then talks about his continued development at Duncanville, the jump from high school to college, Reggie Samples’ success in winning the state title, and their search for a back-to-back state championship. Check the video for more.