On Texas Football: Steve Sarkisian's 10 biggest recruiting wins
In the newest edition of On Texas Football, Bobby Burton and Gerry Hamilton of Inside Texas give us their take on the Longhorns’ BIGGEST recruiting wins in the three-year Steve Sarkisian era on the 40 Acres.
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Both Burton and Hamilton agree about the top two on their respective lists – quarterbacks Arch Manning for the class of 2023 and Quinn Ewers as a transfer from Ohio State in 2022. Manning is considered the top recruit in the Sarkisian era because he was the top recruit in the class and because of all the intangibles the Manning family brings to the table.
“The Manning family is a part of the University of Texas now,” Hamilton said. “It’s a big stamp of approval for Sark that Archie, Peyton, Eli, and Cooper all signed off on the decision for Arch to come to Texas. That is a big win for Steve Sarkisian, and I think the main thing is impact on the University of Texas football and University of Texas athletics.
“I don’t even think we know where that can go if Arch ends up being as good a player as people believe he will be, me included.”
Burton said that Sarkisian’s landing of Ewers when he did was a crucial step forward for the Texas program and the coach’s ability to bring top-notch players to Austin.
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“Ewers’ commitment came at a time where there was still some uncertainty about (Sark’s) start,” Burton said. “You know he hadn’t really gotten started yet after a 5-7 campaign (in 2021). Was Sark going to be able to recruit a big-name quarterback? We didn’t know that for sure yet because he hadn’t done it.
“When he grabbed Ewers, think that’s cemented the fact that yes, this guy can recruit and he can recruit the big-name guys. Ewers was the No. 1 recruit in the country his year and he also came aboard. I think that he helped lead the entire class into Austin and he helped recruit those guys, so that’s why I gave him the nod.”
The rest of the list for Burton and Hamilton have mostly the same players but differ a lot on the order. Hamilton chose running back Cedric Baxter from the 2023 class as his No. 3 while Burton gave his nod to offensive lineman Kelvin Banks, who flipped from a commitment to Oregon and signed in the 2022 class prior to his superb true freshman campaign in Texas’ most recent campaign.
What’s your choice for the top 10 signees under Sark? Take a look at the rest of our two experts’ picks to see how yours compares.
