The highest-rated offensive recruits of the Steve Sarkisian era... so far

By – Lawton Paddock: Since taking the helm as the head coach of the Longhorns in 2021, Steve Sarkisian has developed a reputation as a persuasive, aggressive, and overall effective recruiter during his tenure in Austin. With fans assigning him commendatory monikers such as “Sark After Dark,” Sarkisian has tallied quite a number of splash recruiting hits since supplanting Tom Herman. Today, we will be looking over his highest rated signees at each position dating back to the class of 2022.

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Quarterback: This should come as no surprise. Every major recruiting service gave Arch Manning a near-perfect rating coming out of high school, with his On3 Industry Ranking average coming out to 99.53. One of the most high profile recruits of the last decade, Manning made noise by breaking NFL uncles Peyton and Eli’s passing records at Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans. A must-get target in the 2023 class, his commitment greatly influenced the class’s outcome as a whole, and Manning is in line to be the next star quarterback to come out of Austin after Quinn Ewers.

Running Back: It was major news when Cedric Baxter (97.26) decided to choose Texas over in-state schools Florida and Florida State. Many thought that fellow five-star Reuben Owens would end up being RB1 for the 2023 class, but after his unprecedented commitments to Louisville and later Texas A&M, Sark and co. prioritized the Orlando (Fla.) Edgewater product and landed a pledge from Baxter in August of 2022. Baxter has hit the ground running since his enrollment, and is expected to be the premier back this fall after playing behind Johnathon Brooks last year during his breakout season.

Offensive Line: DJ Campbell (98.26) on the interior and Kelvin Banks (97.49) at tackle round out the elitism on the offensive side of trenches. Both were highly-touted, five-star recruits coming out of high school and have maintained success since enrolling on the 40 Acres. Banks has been a robust starter during both of his two years at Texas and is mocked as a first round pick in 2025. Campbell is entering his second year as a starter and is only expected to further progress in 2024.

Tight End: From the high school ranks, the recruiting at this position has been rather low profile during Sark’s tenure as head coach. When he arrived in 2021, Sarkisian inherited Ja’Tavion Sanders from Herman’s 2021 signing class. Texas actually signed their first four-star tight end in the Sarkisian era just this past winter in Langham Creek (Texas)’s Jordan Washington (91.04). Washington will be competing with established peers Gunnar Helm, Amari Niblack, and Juan Davis in August for a distinguished spot on the depth chart.

Receiver: DeSoto (Texas)’s Johntay Cook takes the top spot here. It was no secret that Cook was the WR1 from the jump for his class, and Sark was able to deliver. After the departure of a strong receiving corps in Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, and AD Mitchell to the NFL Draft in 2024, the whole room is unanchored in its current state and Cook is competing with a handful of newcomers for playing time this year. Despite having some capable competition, Cook showed flashes in 2023 and is thought to be a future cornerstone for Sarkisian’s offense.

It is worth noting that with offensive tackle Michael Fasusi as well as a trio of five-star receivers in Kaliq Lockett (96.73), Jaime Ffrench (96.61), and Dakorien Moore (98.75) trending with Texas, this list has the potential to be shaken up as ratings are finalized and signing day approaches this December.

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All things considered, it is clear Sarkisian’s reputation as a stellar recruiter is well deserved. When evaluating his recruits retroactively, the game-changing caliber of talent that he’s brought to Austin has obviously been a leading difference maker in the program’s performance since he arrived. In addition, with every recruit on this list returning to this fall, Longhorn fans only have more substance to fuel their national championship hopes in 2024.