Texas Longhorns 2021 College Football Recruiting Class Overview
Written by Charlie Beuttel
Twitter: @charlie_cds3
The Tom Herman era is over and the Steve Sarkisian era has started in Austin. A 7-3 record in 2020 was enough for the Longhorns to fire Herman and bring in Alabama’s offensive coordinator (2019-20) to take this program to the next level. After Sarkisian won a national championship with the Crimson Tide, the expectations, as always, around this Texas program are super high.
During the early signing period in December, Texas secured the letters of intent from 18 high school prospects and two transfers who are all looking to come in and make a splash for their new head coach. With 12 recruits staying in their home state and signing with the Longhorns, the new coaching staff is looking to focus more on recruiting their home turf.
A big area of need for Texas is in the defensive front seven. The Longhorns have filled some depth holes in the 2021 recruiting class by signing six prospects adding more speed and athleticism to the box. The highest-rated recruit in the 2021 class is Ja’Tavion Sanders, an athlete, from Denton Ryan High School in Denton (TX). One transfer who will make an immediate impact is wide receiver Brenden Schooler who is joining the Longhorns programs after departing Arizona and Oregon.
The Longhorns’ recruiting class is currently second in the conference, only behind Oklahoma, and 17th in the nation. With the addition of Coach Sarkisian, the haul should get better as Texas will look to lock down more high-end national prospects as National Signing Day approaches next month. It will be exciting to watch Coach Sarkisian use his first recruiting class to take the Longhorns to a higher level
2021 Texas Longhorns Early Signees
ATH Ja’Tavion Sanders, 6-4, 220, Denton Ryan HS-Denton, TX
S JD Coffey, 6-1, 180, Kennedale HS-Kennedale, TX
CB Jamier Johnson, 6-0, 170, John Muir HS-Pasadena, CA
DE Derrick Harris Jr, 6-3, 215, New Caney HS-New Caney, TX
DE Jordon Thomas, 6-3, 240, Memorial HS-Port Arthur, TX
LB Terrence Cooks, 6-2, 210, Shadow Creek HS-Pearland, TX
LB Morice Blackwell, 6-1, 196, Martin HS-Arlington, TX
WR Jaden Alexis, 5-11, 185, Monarch HS-Pompano Beach, FL
OT Hayden Conner, 6-6, 317, Taylor HS-Katy, TX
DT Byron Murphy II, 6-1, 290, DeSoto HS-DeSoto, TX
RB Jonathon Brooks, 6-0, 185, Hallettsville HS-Hallettsville, TX
ATH Juan Davis, 6-4, 217, Everman HS-Fort Worth, TX
TE Gunnar Helm, 6-5, 225, Cherry Creek HS-Englewood, CO
DE Barryn Sorrell, 6-3, 250, Holy Cross HS-New Orleans, LA
QB Charles Wright, 6-1, 194, Austin HS-Austin, TX
WR Casey Cain, 6-2, 175, Warren Easton HS-New Orleans, LA
OT Max Merril, 6-4, 273, Strake Jesuit HS-Houston, TX
P Isaac Pearson, 6-2, 215, ProKick Australia-Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Photo credit: Burnt Orange Nation; Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian