Welcome to Arch Madness. The Texas Longhorns have had an incredible last few days on the recruiting trail. Arch Manning, possible the biggest overall recruit in the history of college football, started things off Thursday afternoon by committing to the Longhorns. Prior to Arch Manning’s commitment, Texas had a class of seven recruits. Currently, Texas’ class is sitting at fourteen. Doubling in size after Arch Manning’s announcement, after only four days.
Arch Madness’ Effect on the Offense
Texas secured a handful of commits on both sides of the ball, but first we will focus on the offensive side. Kyle Flood was busy again, securing commitments from four offensive linemen over the weekend. Jaydon Chatman headlines there group also consisting of Connor Stroh, Trevor Goosby, and Andre Cojoe.
Steve Sarkisian continues to emphasize the offensive line in the 2023 class after taking seven offensive linemen in the 2022 class, securing the best offensive line class in the country and one of the best offensive line classes on record.
It wasn’t all about the big boys, however. Texas also landed a dynamic playmaker in wide receiver Jonah Wilson as well. There is also plenty of smoke to suggest wide receiver Johntay Cook and running back Cedric Baxter have either already committed silently or are on the cusp of committing.
Arch Madness’ Effect on the Defense
While the offense was always going to get a major boost if Arch Manning committed to Austin, the defense certainly had a good weekend as well. Linebacker from Hawaii, Liona Lefau made his commitment on the same day as Arch Manning. Starting to build a pipeline to Hawaii and the Samoa-Polynesian community would be a major win for Texas. Another pipeline that is starting to form is one slightly closer to Austin than Hawaii is, the state of Louisiana.
Terry Joseph’s Impact
Secondary coach and defensive passing game coordinator, Terry Joseph, has played a vital role in building Texas’ pipeline to Louisiana. Louisiana is known to be one of the most talent-rich states in the country, especially for its size. Joseph started his coaching career as a high school coach in Louisiana. He knows the state very well after moving up the ranks and becoming a recruiting coordinator for Louisiana Tech.
That pipeline proved to be instrumental in establishing a good relationship with Arch and the Manning family. However, Joseph’s impact doesn’t stop there. He also managed to secure five-star safety Derek Williams, Tuesday afternoon. The Longhorns are also in the mix for offensive tackle Zalance Heard and cornerback Jordan Matthews. Heard is rated as a four-star and top-80 recruit, according to 247sports. Matthews is rated as a four-star and top-150 recruit.
Closing
Overall, Texas had an absolutely outstanding past few days. With commitments coming at an insane pace, this article may be missing a few names by the time you’re reading this.
Five-star defenders Anthony Hill and David Hicks are both currently Texas A&M leans. However, rumors are swirling they are both very interested in Texas now as well. We’ve already seen Trevor Goosby flip from TCU to Texas after Arch’s announcement. There’s no reason to believe we couldn’t pry away a few more recruits from our rivals.
The 2023 recruiting class does not currently have a ceiling. They have a legitimate chance to have the number one class in the country, provided everything goes right. A realistic expectation would be a top five class minimum. Then, being happy with a top three finish.
Stacking recruiting classes like Sarkisian is currently doing, is how programs become national champions. Look at Georgia’s recruiting classes from 2018-2021. Elite recruiting will eventually lead to success. The 2022 recruiting class was just the start, 2023 looks to build on that even further. Longhorn nation should be excited about what’s next. Welcome to Arch Madness, Austin.
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