Steve Sarkisian might already be circling his next big offensive tackle project.
With fourth-year tackle Trevor Goosby set to move on after this season, Texas will have room on the line - and depth pieces like Jordan Coleman, John Turntine III, and others behind him - but Goosby brings a level of star potential the Longhorns don’t exactly have waiting in the wings.
That’s why Austin Attalah is worth watching.
The four-star offensive tackle recently trimmed his list to three schools: Texas, Texas Tech, and USC. Texas was right there in the mix for the No. 14 prospect in the class of 2028, who is also ranked the No. 3 offensive tackle and the top recruit from California. Even more notable, he included the Longhorns before ever making a visit to the 40 Acres.
NEWS: Elite 2028 OT Austin Attalah is down to Texas, Texas Tech, and USC, he tells me for @Rivals
The 6’7 290 OT from San Bernardino, CA is ranked as the No. 14 Recruit in the 2028 Rivals300 https://t.co/O6e6ThH6Je pic.twitter.com/vV0yoQTsFs
- Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) August 10, 2026
Attalah has already been to USC three times and has also traveled to Lubbock to spend time with Texas Tech. Texas, though, is still firmly in the race despite not having scheduled a visit yet. That alone says plenty about how Sarkisian is operating on the recruiting trail - and about the pull the Texas brand still has nationally.
Even with recent questions around the offensive line, top prospects still want in. They still see Texas as a place to develop, and players like Goosby give them a blueprint.
Attalah, though, is still a work in progress physically. He’s listed at 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds, which gives him the frame, but he’s not yet at the kind of size that usually gets a true freshman thrown into the fire. Goosby, by comparison, is 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds, while Texas right tackle Melvin Siani checks in at 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds.
There’s still another full high school season ahead for Attalah to add the kind of bulk he’ll need at the next level. And if he lands in Austin, he’d likely follow a path similar to Goosby’s early on - learning behind the scenes before taking on a bigger role.
Goosby played in just two games as a freshman in 2023, debuting against Rice and later getting a few snaps against Kansas.
Attalah still hasn’t committed anywhere, and he doesn’t have a decision date set. But Texas is clearly in the conversation, and Sarkisian may already be aiming at his next Trevor Goosby in the making.
In Other News...
Texas Freshmen Are Already Making Key Position Battles Harder To Ignore
The first week of fall camp has already given Steve Sarkisian and his staff a few reasons to keep a closer eye on the freshmen, with Derrek Cooper, Jermaine Bishop Jr. and Tyler Atkinson all turning in promising early work. Coopers physical running style stood out enough to draw praise from Sarkisian, while Tyler Atkinson has made enough progress to get noticed in a linebacker room that already has established names in front of him.
Jermaine Bishop Jr. has also added to the pressure on the depth chart, with Ryan Niblett pointing to his agility and competitiveness as traits that translate quickly in camp. For Texas, the bigger takeaway is not just that the freshmen look ready to compete, but that the early battles for snaps are becoming harder to sort out by the day. [Read more 🡒]
Would Texas Ever Give Texas Tech The Game It Wants
Joey McGuire has made no secret of what he wants for Texas Techs future schedule, and it starts with more Power Conference opponents. The Red Raiders have spent time trying to line up marquee games, including an effort to get Texas on the slate, but those conversations have not produced the kind of matchup McGuire has been after. Other programs, from Texas A&M to USC, NC State and Mississippi State, reportedly passed on Techs requests as well, leaving the Red Raiders still searching for the sort of game that would raise the profile of their nonconference calendar.
From Texas side, the picture is a little less settled. Steve Sarkisian recently signaled some uncertainty about whether the Longhorns will keep their series with Notre Dame going, and any change there could ripple into future scheduling choices. For Texas Tech, that is the kind of opening worth watching, because the bigger the name left off the Longhorns calendar, the more room there may be for the Red Raiders to finally land the kind of matchup they have been chasing. [Read more 🡒]