Which current 2025 Texas commits could make an immediate impact?

Texas has the No. 6 ranked recruiting class in the country but the Horns are nowhere close to being done on the trail. The way things are trending in Austin, I expect a Top 3 class.

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While it’s too premature for this exercise to be completely comprehensive, we can already tell there are a number of early impact candidates in the Texas class.

Early impacts happen for a couple of reasons, e.g., the player is simply too awesome to keep off the field. We call these guys Ryan Wingo and Colin Simmons. Another reason is opportunity arising due to injury. His name is Jerrick Gibson. Sometimes a position is just so thin a player is needed right away. That could be the case with a player or two in the 2025 class.

Let’s examine.

S Jonah Williams, Galveston (Texas) Ball

Williams is a ridiculous athlete both from a twitch standpoint and when it comes to coordination. Most guys are lucky to be one type, he’s both.

As far as experience goes, the safety room will have Michael Taaffe, Derek Williams, and Jelani McDonald next year. I think J. Williams will vie for the fourth safety spot with Xavier Filsaime. I say that partly because Jordon Johnson-Rubell could then focus on Star. JJ-R can play safety or Star.

WR Jaime Ffrench, Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin

The recruitment reminded many of us of Ryan Wingo‘s. His tape reminds me a bit of Wingo as well. Ffrench is not as big as Wingo but he plays big. He’s also plenty explosive.

Next season Wingo will become a starter and Ffrench might compete to be his primary backup. It depends on how far along he is and also how much Parker Livingstone progresses.

Ffrench could play either outside position.

WR Kaliq Lockett, Sachse (Texas)

Lockett’s a ball winner and those guys tend to make an early impact. Like Ffrench, he could also play either outside receiver role.

Also like Ffrench, it’s up to Lockett to demonstrate they’re as advanced as Wingo was coming in because it’s not Sark’s preference to play inexperienced players. They have to force Sark’s hand.

(Both of these guys are plenty fast)

Edge Lance Jackson, Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove

This position is in excellent shape next year with Ethan Burke, Colton Vasek, Zina Umeozulu, and Jackson. As much as I like the guys ahead of him, Jackson is a different animal when it comes to college readiness upon arrival. He’s physically mature and highly athletic.

The Jack pipeline is a little more certain than Buck. We’ll see if Trey Moore returns after this year and then there’s Colin Simmons, Justice Finkley, and Tausili Akana. I’ll be curious to see if they try to keep Vasek there. If Jackson is ready to play Jack then that would make sense.

LB Elijah Barnes, Dallas (Texas) Skyline

Texas will certainly hit the portal but there will still be playing time for Barnes if he adapts quickly. He’s diagnosing better than ever and will be a quick responder to college S&C.

Texas is set to lose David Gbenda and Morice Blackwell but will return an extremely exciting nucleus of Anthony Hill, Liona Lefau, and Tyanthony Smith. The staff needs more depth, though.

I haven’t given up on Derion Gullette. He was always a longer curve player. He might be an excellent Sam.

TE Nick Townsend, Spring (Texas) Dekaney

He’s physically mature at 6-3.5, 235 pounds. He’s also a freak athlete with a strong football disposition. I don’t see how he’ll be kept off the field. Not only is he a total stud, there will be opportunity with the departures of Gunnar Helm and Juan Davis.

The potential pairing of Jordan Washington and Townsend is elite elite but it may take another year to be truly realized. They’ll both be young in 2025.

DT Josiah Sharma, Folsom (Calif.)

Having seen him work in the weight room and spending time with his coaches I do think Sharma can play early. He’s already big, decently strong, and explosive off the ball. Defensive tackle is not the most mentally taxing position, so that helps, too.

Myron Charles will have the same opportunity.

RB James Simon, Shreveport (La.) Calvary Baptist Academy

Opportunity could be knocking for Simon after the major injuries to CJ Baxter and Christian Clark. While their rehabs are going well there’s just no way to know when they’ll be back to normal.

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Simone is well-built and the son of a football coach. I anticipate he’ll be ready to play early. Whether or not his name is called could depend on Baxter and Clark’s health, as well as who Texas gets in the portal. It also remains to be seen what Jaydon Blue decides after this season. As of now he’s not having the type of year that would motivate him to declare early.