Steve Sarkisian’s run at Texas has been defined by one thing above all else: landing elite high school talent and turning it into the backbone of a program that’s back in the championship conversation.
The transfer portal has helped, sure. Quinn Ewers changed the shape of the roster.
But the real engine of Texas’ rise has been recruiting, especially the kind of blue-chip high school wins that give a program staying power. A look at Sarkisian’s biggest recruiting victories tells the story of how the Longhorns got back here.
At the top of the list is Arch Manning, and it’s not close. The No. 1 overall player in the class of 2023 was the prize every major program wanted, and Texas got him.
That decision mattered beyond the class itself. It helped reestablish the Longhorns as a destination for elite recruits year after year.
Now Manning is heading into his second season as a starter after spending multiple seasons developing, and he stands as the clearest proof of what Sarkisian can do with a quarterback prospect. He is, without question, the face of the program heading into the 2026 season, one loaded with championship expectations.
Another major win came in the 2022 class with offensive tackle Kelvin Banks. Sarkisian flipped Banks Jr. from Oregon after Mario Cristobal left for Miami, and that was a huge get for a class he built from start to finish.
Banks didn’t just arrive as a recruiting victory; he became the tone-setter up front. He started as a true freshman at left tackle and gave Texas an identity in the trenches.
Over three seasons, he won the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in the same year, earned two All-American honors, and became the highest-drafted Texas player under Sarkisian when the New Orleans Saints took him No. 9 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was one of the first big-time commitments Sarkisian secured after taking over in Austin, and that mattered for more than just star power. Worthy had originally committed to Michigan and signed there, but after asking for and receiving a release from his National Letter of Intent, he ended up at Texas.
Sarkisian had already recruited him while serving as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and once Worthy got to Austin, he became a perfect fit for the explosive offense Sarkisian wanted to build. In three seasons, Worthy piled up 2,755 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns before going in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was another defining addition, and his recruitment showed just how far Texas had come. The five-star from Denton Ryan High School and the No. 1 linebacker in the class was committed to Texas A&M for much of the process.
Then came the late flip to Texas just days before signing day, a move that reflected the momentum around the Longhorns and the appeal of the move to the SEC. Hill arrived and immediately became a fixture on defense.
His Texas career ended with 249 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, and three interceptions, and after three seasons he left for the NFL having helped put the program in a much stronger place than the one he joined.
Then there’s edge rusher Colin Simmons, who has already lived up to the hype and then some. The five-star from Duncanville High School arrived with the 2024 class and wasted no time becoming one of the most feared edge rushers in the country.
In two seasons, Simmons has posted 91 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, and 21 sacks. He’s also become more than just a playmaker on Saturdays; he was one of three players chosen to represent the Orange and White at SEC Media Days last week, a sign of how quickly he has become a face of the program.
Taken together, those five recruiting wins show exactly why Texas is back in the mix. Sarkisian hasn’t just collected talent. He’s stacked the roster with players who changed the feel of the program, one class at a time.
In Other News...
Steve Sarkisian Is In A Heated Fight For Must Have Texas Lineman
Texas has made interior offensive line a priority in the 2028 class, and Kendrick Harris sits near the top of that board. The four-star prospect from Duncanville has already drawn serious attention as one of the best interior linemen in his cycle, which is exactly why Steve Sarkisian and his staff are treating this recruitment like an early heavyweight battle rather than a distant future decision.
The Longhorns are trying to sell more than just the brand name, because Texas A&M, Oklahoma, LSU and SMU are all in the mix as well. For a program that has dealt with the offensive line as one of its biggest question marks under Sarkisian, landing a player like Harris would carry obvious value, but the real challenge is still ahead as he weighs the coaches and the fit that matter most to him. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Still Has A Shot At A Massive 2027 Recruiting Flip
Texas has already put together a strong 2027 recruiting class, but the Longhorns are still working through the usual churn that comes with chasing elite prospects this far out. Even after a few losses and decommitment flips, the staff is staying active on the trail, and one of the names it continues to circle is a highly regarded athlete whose profile fits what Texas likes to target on both sides of the ball.
Honor Fa'alave-Johnson remains one of the more intriguing players in the 2027 cycle because evaluators see real value beyond one position. He is widely viewed as a safety at the Power 4 level, yet his high school production has included major work as a runner and receiver, which is part of why Texas is still so interested. If the Longhorns are going to make a late move here, they will need to keep pressing on a recruitment that already has plenty of attention and no shortage of moving parts. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Miller Has Texas In The Hunt For A Massive 5-Star Win
Sean Millers first months in Austin have already brought a noticeable recruiting jolt, and Texas is now in the mix for one of the biggest names in the 2027 class. Five-star center Darius Wabbington has emerged as a major target for the Longhorns, a sign that the program is aiming high as it tries to stack elite talent around the foundation it has already built through recent commitments and a strong run in the portal.
Wabbington has trimmed his list to a small group of heavy hitters, and Texas is still standing alongside some of the sports most established powers. He has official visits lined up to several of those programs, including Texas, which keeps the Longhorns firmly in the conversation as the race moves into a more serious phase. For Miller, this is the kind of battle that can help define how quickly Texas can turn momentum on the recruiting trail into something lasting. [Read more 🡒]