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Signing Day: OnTexasFootball 2024 Class Rankings (Wednesday 5:44 a.m. CST)

Signing Day: OnTexasFootball 2024 Class Rankings
Steve Sarkisian will step to the mic around 11 a.m. central today to talk at length about the 2024 recruiting class. 
The class of 22 is expected to finish as the No. 6 ranked class trailing only Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Miami. Texas’ 22 signees are are tied with Ohio State for the least among the top 6 classes. Georgia (28), Alabama (26), Oregon (27) and Miami (27) all signed at least four more prospects than the Longhorns. 
OnTexasFootball ranks the players in the class within some categories that will always impact Texas recruiting moving forward. 
OnTexasFootball final rankings for the class have two 5-stars, 16 4-stars and four 3-stars. 
OnTexasFootball 5-stars
Colin Simmons, EDGE, Duncanville (Texas) High
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 5-star
Simmons is by far the top edge rushing prospect the Longhorns have signed in the Steve Sarkisian era. Up to around 240 pounds, look for Simmons to settle around 250-255 over time with high-end twitch and bend. 
Ryan Wingo, WR, Saint Louis (Mo.) St. Louis University
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 5-star
If Wingo maximizes his talent, he has high-ceiling NFL potential. There are not many prospects at 6-1.5, 205-210 pounds that have the initial movement skills, twitch, vertical ability and body control like Wingo. AD Mitchell was a low 4-star coming out of high school, and is knocking on the door of being a first round selection. Wingo has even more upside. 
The SEC Flips
Xavier Filsaime, S, McKinney (Texas) High
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Filsaime is already turning heads in Austin. He’s will be physically ready to compete from day one. The McKinney staff left little doubt how self-motivated Filsaime was on a November visit to the school. Filsaime was the second of two Florida flips in the class. 
Wardell Mack, CB, Marrero (La.) John Ehret
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Mack is a name that has already been mentioned by OTF’s C.J. Vogel as impressing early on. Mack has very good arm length for his height to go with high-end ball skills. The first of two flips from Florida, Mack will be defensive back only focused for the first time as a player this spring. 
Tyanthony Smith, LB, Jasper (Texas) High
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
The Texas A&M flip needs some time to develop physically, but his football speed is tailor-made for the SEC. He also possesses a 79-inch wingspan at 6-1.5. A lot of upside to go with some of the same characteristics Jaylan Ford possesses around the game. 
IMG Academy duo
Jerrick Gibson, RB, Gainesville (Fla.) IMG Academy
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Of all the signees, Gibson headed to Austin with the body type most ready for Power 5 football. Gibson is a very compact 5-9.5 and 215’ish. Taking on a linebacker in the hole will not be an issue for the Sunshine State back. Tashard Choice went into Florida and beat out the in-state powers two years in a row for one of the best backs in the country. 
Jordon Johnson-Rubell, S, Fort Worth (Texas) IMG Academy
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
JJ-R has as good of instincts as any player in the class. What did the IMG Academy staff love most about him? Leadership, versatility to play in the box vs. the run and play the pass from hash to boundary. Talent maximization will not be in question. 
Going back to Cali
Brandon Baker, OT, Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Baker will begin his career at right tackle, but look for Texas to cross train him at both tackle spots. The same as Texas has done with Cameron Williams. Look for Baker to make big strength gains the next few months. 
Aaron Butler, WR, Calabasas (Calif.) High
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Butler was a highly enough thought of prospect in the cycle that he was committed to both USC and Deion Sanders at Colorado prior to signing with Texas. After the catch, Butler will be among the best at Texas. He’s got elite shiftiness with ball in hand.
Bijan Robinson’s home state
Christian Clark, RB, Phoenix (Az.) Mountain Pointe
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
How motivated is Clark to be a very good player? He did what few do in the state of Arizona - went through all the hoops to graduate high school early. Clark will be the most violent cutter between the tackles in the program from practice one this spring. 
Santana Wilson, CB, Scottsdale (Az.) Desert Mountain
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
The son of former NFL safety and current NFL executive Adrian Wilson is a rare May graduate in the class. He possesses good arm length at the position, and like Terrance Brooks will head to Texas having grown up with a former NFL safety to learn the game from. 
DFW area dominance continues
The Longhorns signed six players from the DFW area all told. That does not include Jordon Johnson-Rubell, who finished high school in the Sunshine State. 
Daniel Cruz, OC/IOL, North Richland Hills (Texas) Richland
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Cruz has everything Kyle Flood is looking for at center. Overcomes lack of ideal arm length with elite natural strength, quickness in movement skills and reactions, football intelligence, motor/effort and brings some of the toughness/nastiness on the field that Kasey Studdard did.
Zina Umeozulu, EDGE, Allen (Texas) High
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder had a strong Under Armour All-America week performance. His length and quickness combination makes for a high ceiling. If he pushes for early playing time with the experience in front of him, watch out. 
Alex January, DL, Duncanville (Texas) High
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
January had a tremendous senior season for the Panthers taking home District Defensive Player of the Year honors in an absolutely loaded district of talented defensive prospects. OTF’s C.J. Vogel has already heard some positives about January in the short time he’s been in Austin. Already on campus, January will have the opportunity to play his way into the rotation as a freshman. 
Parker Livingston, WR, Lucas (Texas) Lovejoy
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Livingstone had a tremendous season opener before suffering a season ending foot injury the following week. Has height, length, enough vertical speed, body control and strong hands. He will just need to have a little patience in year one. 
Trio from Houston 
Trey Owens, QB, Cypress (Texas) Cy-Fair
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Owens enrolled at Texas around 6-5 and 230 pounds. He showed improved movement skills in the pocket as a senior with the ability to make all the throws. Possesses very good trajectory and timing on vertical throws. He enrolled at Texas in a near perfect developmental timeline. 
Jordan Washington, TE, Houston (Texas) Langham Creek
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Washington got serious about football in the last couple of years. And that made him a nationally recruited prospect in short order. Washington should look fluid and athletic at 6-4 and 250 pounds in time. He has the ability to help stretch the field from the tight end position. 
Nate Kibble, IOL, Humble (Texas) Atascocita
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 3-star
Kibble possesses long arms for his height (likely 6-2.5). He’s a rare four-year starter at the 6A level in Texas on the offensive line. Matching physicality at the Power 5 level should not be an issue. 
Huge win in CenTex
Kobe Black, CB, Waco (Texas) Connally
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 4-star
Seeing Kobe Black at the Under Armour All-America practices, he hasn’t truly begun to scratch the surface physically. Black at 6-foot-2 and around 210 pounds down the line wouldn’t be a surprise. OnTexasFootball’s Rod Babers loves the patience of Black at the position. He will be one singular position focused for the first time this spring. 
One from San Antonio 
Freddie Dubose Jr., WR, Spring Branch (Texas) Smithson Valley
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 3-star
Make no mistake, Dubose is a high-end 4-star pure athlete if fully healthy. One college head coach that recruited him called him a “freak athlete”. If that comes out at Texas, he will out perform his OTF ranking. 
St. Thomas Aquinas represented
Michael Kern, P, Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas
OnTexasFootball Ranking: 3-star
If Jeff Banks chooses not to go to the portal this spring for a punter, that will tell Texas fans just how high he is on Kern’s ability to come in and handle duties as a freshman. 
Will he stay or go?
One prospect remains in a little limbo if he will remain in the class. That is OnTexasFootball 3-star and Lafayette (La.) Christian defensive lineman Melvin Hills. Hills spoke with new defensive line coach Kenny Baker last Friday, but had yet to speak with Steve Sarkisian as of Tuesday afternoon. 
Class breakdown by state
This breakdown is by where players graduated from high school. Jordon Johnson-Rubell is from Fort Worth, but graduated from IMG Academy in Florida. 
Texas - 12
Florida - 3
Louisiana - 2 
California - 2
Arizona - 2
Missouri - 1 
Class Breakdown by area in Texas
We will once again leave Jordon Johnson-Rubell out of this breakdown.
DFW - 6 
Greater Houston - 3
Golden Triangle/Southeast Texas - 1 
CenTex - 1
San Antonio/South Texas - 1 
Gerry Hamilton

Coffee & Football: Wednesday 02/07

Longhorns fans, this place to be at 8 AM CST is the On Texas Football YouTube Channel. Join us for some Coffee and Football, as @Bobby Burton, @CJ Vogel, @Gerry Hamilton and I discuss the latest in recruiting, team info and much more.  As usual, we will be taking your questions so post them here or in the chat! 
 
Today's Storylines:
Forty Acres Insider: February 6 (By Chris Del Conte)
https://texassports.com/news/2024/2/6/forty-acres-insider-february-6.aspx
Will the Texas Longhorns capitalize on their one-of-a-kind CFP advantage
https://www.gulflive.com/longhorns/2024/02/will-the-texas-longhorns-capitalize-on-their-one-of-a-kind-cfp-advantage.html
Texas ranks No. 2 in SEC for returning production after transfer adds
https://sports.yahoo.com/texas-ranks-no-2-sec-151147057.html
Texas Will 'Have a Shot Every Year' to Compete For Championships
https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/texas-longhorns-will-have-a-shot-every-year-to-compete-for-championships
Texas football should have a quiet national signing day after all its December signings
https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/football/2024/02/06/texas-football-national-signing-day-2024-class-big-recruiting-haul-in-december-steve-sarkisian/72463443007/
No. 14 Iowa State holds off late Texas rally and earns 70-65 road victory
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2024/02/06/no-14-iowa-state-holds-off-late-texas-rally-and-earns-70-65-road-victory/72502928007/
Photo gallery: Iowa State men's basketball at Texas
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/picture-gallery/sports/college/iowa-state/cyclone-insider/2024/02/06/photos-pictures-iowa-state-basketball-vs-texas-on-longhorn-network/72493653007/
Blake Munroe

Four-star Zion Williams talks Steve Sarkisian and Kenny Baker

Lufkin, Texas - Steve Sarkisian made stops at a number of schools in January to see top targets in the 2025 cycle. One of those stops was Lufkin High. 
OnTexasFootball 4-star defensive tackle Zion Williams has been a top target of the Longhorns on the defensive front for more than a year. 
Williams, who is 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds with an 80+inch wing span and a size 18 shoe, attended the Texas mauling of Texas Tech in November. At that time, it was then-defensive line coach Bo Davis who was in contact the most with Williams. 
That means January was the first time for Williams to have a meaningful conversation with Sarkisian. 
“Coach Sarkisian came through with Coach Blake (Gideon),” Williams told OnTexasFootball. “That was more just getting to know Coach Sark personally. We asked each other questions. A question I have learned to ask coaches during this recruiting process is, if I were to commit to this school right now at this exact time we’re talking, what would be the process to introduce me into the culture and the family. His answer was he was going to teach me the culture of Austin, which I didn’t know, and get me aquatinted with people around Austin and not just the school. He wanted me to get acquainted with people in the community, and do community service. I was like okay, that’s a pretty good answer.” 
New Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker stopped by Lufkin High last Wednesday, his second day on the road. It was a chance for Baker to make a strong first impression.
“Okay, so he’s a former NFL coach," Williams explained. :His recruiting process was way different than everybody else’s. He had a notepad. It was basically a rapid fire questions. He didn’t give me time to think, so he didn’t give me a chance to process the question. He spit questions and then was writing down my answers. He was seeing how I answered. I didn’t realize it until I looked down because I saw his hand moving the whole time. I was like, 'oh he’s writing down what I’m saying.' That was intimidating in a good way - if that makes sense. He asked what I wanted to do outside of football, what ere my hobbies, my family and stuff like that. He really liked my answers.”
One key piece of news Williams said Tuesday was there are four schools he knows he wants to make an official visit to as of today. 
Texas, A&M, TCU and LSU. 
Williams on meeting with Brian Kelly
LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Tigers defensive line coach Bo Davis made the trip to Lufkin from Baton Rouge in January to sit down with the 4-star. 
“It was basically more of getting to know Coach (Brian) Kelly because Coach Bo (Davis) and I are already cool," Williams said. "It was mostly Coach Kelly and I doing a bunch of talking. For me, in what was about an hour conversation, he’s a pretty cool ole’ dude. You can tell he’s not from the south. I liked getting to talk to Coach Bo again. That was nice. We talk once or twice a week. When he’s not busy, I’ll reach out to him, or he will reach out to me.”
Williams made a first-ever trip to LSU January 20. And it definitely presented a home-like feel. 
“My initial thoughts was that it feels like East Texas," he said. "It’s like really weird how it felt like I didn’t leave Texas at all. And that’s a pretty cool thing to me. It felt like a Piney Woods area. People were cool, nice people. The new coaching staff is pretty cool.” 
Williams on meeting with Mike Elko and Sean Spencer
Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko and Sean Spencer also met with Williams last month. 
“It was just talking again," Williams said. "He wanted to let my momma know what his plans are if I were to go down there. He was talking about developing me as a young man, and keeping my head on straight if you know what I mean. He said a lot of places don’t care, you are just a number when you go there. He said he doesn’t want to treat his players like a statistic. I liked that. Coach Elko, I’m not going to lie, was a little intimidating. He didn’t break eye contact at all our entire conversation. I like Coach Elko. He’s a pretty cool dude. When I first met him, I thought about the uncle from Alvin and the Chipmunks. He kind of looks like him to me, that was my first thought. Coach Spencer is loud, but I like it if that makes sense. He’s not an annoying loud. When he starts talking, everyone gets hyped.' 
TCU impresses more on every visit
Williams is a distant relative of former Lufkin High standout, Oklahoma defensive lineman and TCU defensive line coach JaMarkus McFarland. 
Last weekend, Williams was on campus in Fort Worth for Junior Day.
“TCU is a good school," he said. "I like it more and more every time I go up there. The coaching staff is good. I got to meet the new DC, and he is a good dude. While we were up there, JaMarkus got some of his players to come up and talk for a minute. I would say, that was the first time I got to spend with players on a visit. JaMarkus left for a little bit, and I got to ask some questions and I liked the answers I got from the players.”
Texas Tech is a fifth school that Williams is fond of when it comes to the coaching staff. He’s a fan of the energy of Joey McGuire and says he has being a foodie in common with defensive line coach Zarnell Fitch. 
Gerry Hamilton

Michigan DL Coach Headed to NFL

Michigan defensive line coach Mike Elston is headed to the NFL.
A big piece of the Wolverines success from a year ago was the work of their defensive line. Just as importantly for the Longhorns who play Michigan in Ann Arbor the second game of the upcoming season, the Wolverines' DL was supposed to be a strength of their 2024 team. 
That may have hit a bit of a snag Tuesday afternoon as word out of Jim Harbaugh’s LA Chargers camp leaked that Elston will be making the leap to the Pros.
 
Michigan did not have any roster attrition of note after the first round of its coaches departing to Los Angeles. However, with Elston now leaving, it makes things significantly more interesting for two elite interior defensive linemen, Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant, if they were to enter the portal. 
CJ Vogel

In The Pipeline | WR & TE

Today in part two of the In The Pipeline series, we will cover the pass catchers on the Texas roster in 2024 and beyond. Of course, a lot has happened in these two position rooms since the end of the season and by all means, I am expecting the wide receivers to remain a strength of the Texas program.
A quick look at the current state of each room for 2024 and beyond:
Wide Receiver
On Roster: Silas Bond, Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, Johntay Cook, DeAndre Moore, Ryan Niblett, Freddie Dubose, Ryan Wingo, Parker Livingstone, Aaron Butler
Coming Soon: We will see.
For 2024: In a room that was expected to be a huge question mark just over 45 days ago, the work done by the Texas staff has completely revamped the group of weapons for Quinn Ewers. Through the portal, Texas added Alabama's leading wide receiver, Oregon State's leading receiver and a 1,000 yard career receiver with 13 touchdowns. It is very likely this unit is a strength of the Texas roster in 2024 when you combine sophomore Johntay Cook and DeAndre Moore, as well as former five-star freshman WR Ryan Wingo. The options are bountiful right now in this room. No need to dive back into the idea of a positionless offense, but the speed in this room is going to be at a level Texas hasn't seen in years, maybe even a decade-plus. Really exciting for Texas in year one of the SEC.
Beyond: You can chalk up Silas Bolden (grad transfer) and Isaiah Bond to being one-year rentals for the Longhorns this season. Yet, the 2025 outlook remains incredibly encouraging. Johntay Cook will be entering year three and Matthew Golden will most likely be back to bring you a very solid 1–2 look on the outside. Of course, Ryan Wingo will have at least two more years after the 2024 season before being eligible for the NFL Draft. How can Parker Livingstone and Freddie Dubose crack the lineup? Aaron Butler is a popular choice for most underrated prospect from the last class as well. Oh, and I have yet to even talk about the potential of a third year DeAndre Moore and Ryan Niblett. Plenty of options here, and it will be up to Chris Jackson to get those guys ready behind the scenes to catch passes from Arch Manning.
 
Tight End:
On Roster: Gunnar Helm, Armari Niblack, Juan Davis, Malik Agbo, Spencer Shannon, Will Randle, Jordan Washington
Coming Soon: 2025 Emaree Winston
For 2024: Texas fans were given very little time to weep following the departure of Ja'Tavion Sanders to the NFL. Sarkisian and Jeff Banks took a turn towards the portal almost immediately and jumped right on in for Amari Niblack following the retirement of Mr. Nick Saban. As a result, Texas will continue to be able to deploy a two tight end set with strengths both in the trenches and down the field vertically. We have mentioned Malik Agbo's use as a hybrid tight end and offensive lineman. Plus Juan Davis has game experience, albeit limited, but regardless an option that has been around a good bit.
Beyond: A bit of a question mark for 2025 and beyond. Who takes that next leap? Will Texas have the luxury of one of Helm or Niblack returning? Perhaps, but no guarantee. Big question remains in regards to Spencer Shannon and his development. He could be an immediate replacement for Helm as the in-line tight end in the Sarkisian offense as Texas continues to develop Jordan Washington behind the scenes. What kind of contribution from Will Randle will be seen. I am a big fan of Washington's, though a two tight end class is very likely for the 2025 class.
CJ Vogel

2025 DL to Visit in March (7:14 a.m. CST)

Texas will receive a visit from 2025 (Folsom, Calif.) defensive tackle Josiah Sharma in March.
I traded messages with Sharma last night who mentioned a trip to Austin is likely to occur following the conclusion of the non-contact window. It is our understanding Texas will have a junior day-type visit weekend set up for the weekend of March 22.
The 6-foot-5 and 300-pound defensive tackle was offered by Texas on February 1 following an on-campus visit from Johnny Nansen. Shama was also mentioned in Gerry's best-case scenario class published on Monday.
CJ Vogel

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