Tashard Choice building a resume as one of the best recruiters in the country
When it comes to running back recruiting at Texas, Longhorns running backs coach Tashard Choice rarely has to pivot to secondary options. During his just over a year spent coaching and recruiting in Austin, Choice has landed commitments from four high school prospects.
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Two of those commitments, CJ Baxter and Jerrick Gibson, were ranked as the No. 1 and the No. 2 running backs in their respective classes in the On3 Industry Ranking. Baxter has enrolled early, while Gibson still has one more season at IMG Academy that could elevate his standing in the On3 Industry Ranking.
It’s not just the high profile commitments that have made Choice a top recruiter, but also the wins over prominent programs. With Baxter and Gibson, schools from around the country and the Southeastern Conference wanted their services. Baxter, a one-time Florida State commit, chose Texas over the Seminoles and other Florida programs. Gibson, a Gainesville, Fla. native, selected Texas over hometown Florida and others in the region.
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Texas has had to beat other nationally known programs for all its running back commits, not just Baxter and Gibson. For Tre Wisner, the Longhorns topped rival Oklahoma for the DeSoto (Texas) standout. For Christian Clark, who jumped into the class a short bit before Gipson, the Longhorns topped finalists Oregon, Alabama, Florida State, and Georgia. The Ducks offered the stiffest competition for the Arizona four-star, but Texas still prevailed thanks to Choice.
There will be more difficult recruiting battles for running backs to come in the SEC, but Choice’s experience in the Southeastern part of the country will help him greatly. In fact, there’s no doubt it already has.
2023 CJ Baxter Jr.
Hometown: Orlando, Fla.
High School: Edgewater
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 30 overall (five-star)
Chose Texas over: Texas A&M, Florida, Miami, Alabama, Florida State
2023 Tre Wisner
Hometown: DeSoto, Texas
High School: DeSoto
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 438 overall (three-star)
Chose Texas over: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, USC, Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Florida State.
2024 Christian Clark
Hometown: Phoenix, Ariz.
High School: Mountain Pointe
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 268 overall (four-star)
Chose Texas over: Oregon, Alabama, Florida State, Georgia
2024 Jerrick Gibson
Hometown: Gainesville, Fla.
High School: IMG Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 48 overall (four-star)
Chose Texas over: Georgia, Miami, Tennessee, Florida
2025 offers
Harlem Berry, Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s Episcopal
Jordon Davison, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Alvin Henderson, Elba (Ala.)
Anthony Rogers, Pike Road (Ala.) IMG Academy – Alabama commit
Taevion Swint, Kissimmee (Fla.) Osceola – UCF commit
James Simon, Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist
Tory Blaylock, Humble (Texas) Atascocita
Deondrae Riden, DeSoto (Texas)
Riley Wormley, Southlake (Texas) Carroll
Kane Bowen, Sherman (Texas)
