Skip to main content
Texas

The trials and tribulations of recruiting are all worth it

by:RT Young•07/09/25
texas-head-coach-steve-sarkisian-losing-game-like-this-doesnt-kill-you-georgia-loss
Steve Sarkisian via Jay Janner (American-Statesman) / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the recruiting landscape is confusing, I bury my head under a pillow of disillusionment and check out. I think many fans do. Right now, there are far more questions than answers. There are rampant spenders and no cheat sheets as to how much a given prospect costs. It all comes at a moment that was supposed to bring clarity to an NIL landscape that has been chaotic since 2021. Plus, the Longhorns and Steve Sarkisian are stumbling on the trail like they haven’t since his first summer in Austin. But the situations couldn’t be more different. Back then, Texas was trying to craft the sort of roster that would just compete in the Big 12 and SEC. Now, they have the team the NIL hustlers are trying to emulate.

[Sign up for Inside Texas for $1 and get PLUS access up to the Ohio State game!]

Eric Nahlin offered some fantastic perspective on the situation this morning. Those standing on the ledge ready to lurch forward would do well to remember his old adage: “Never get too high or too low in recruiting.” In 2021, the situation was dire because Sarkisian was trying to overhaul a roster and a program. Every recruitment felt like a confirmation or an indictment of what Sark was trying to create on The 40 Acres. He was attempting to build a team that looked like the Nick Saban and Pete Carroll teams he’d been a part of. The cupboard was devoid of talent, save Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, and a few balls of clay like T’Vondre Sweat and Ja’Tavion Sanders.

Now, the types of players commanding huge paydays as seniors before they ever set foot on college campuses are the types of blue chips Sark already has in Austin. He’s also sent less talented players to the NFL in droves the last three years. The anxiety in 2021 was over whether Texas would ever be back. Would they field a team that could compete? Those questions have been answered. Texas fans should be less worried about the chaos of the trail, because the roster of their recruiting dreams is on campus right now.

Texas enters the season with bona fide top-10 players in Anthony Hill and Colin Simmons. I think they’ll have a Heisman Trophy invite in Arch Manning. Ryan Wingo is the type of outside threat who swings title races, while Trevor Goosby is the bookend left tackle each contender needs. When looking at Texas, you find multiple veterans like Michael Taaffe and Quintrevion Wisner who raise floors, only to immediately discover young players like Justus Terry and Jonah Williams who can blow open a team’s ceiling. The NFL will be littered with Longhorns for a decade plus.

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET FOR 15% OFF: Get your little Longhorns ready for Texas Football this Fall!]

You follow recruiting in the hopes that your alma mater or favorite team builds a roster that looks remotely like this one. It’s the type of squad that the NIL hustlers and gamblers dream of. That faint hope is what inspires them to bust out the stacks of cash and NIL payments which are flooding the market. I too once dreamed that the Longhorns could have a team that looked like this. That’s why recruiting was so stressful back then. Not anymore.

You may also like