Four days of excitement to Texas Longhorns football

In a span of four days, seven players committed to the Texas Longhorns football team and pushed the burnt orange to No. 5 in the class rankings.

It’s a period that began with a simple tweet from Isidore Newman senior quarterback Arch Manning declaring his commitment to head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns on June 23.

Since then, a firestorm of media coverage on all levels talked about Manning’s commitment to the Longhorns and asked the dreaded question fans have come to hate — does this mean the Longhorns are really and truly back? But that’s the kind of rhetoric landing a commitment like Manning’s has meant. Simply Manning checks all the boxes. They include the physical attributes at 6 feet 4 inches and 215 pounds, to his genetics dating back to his grandfather Archie Manning who played in the NFL to his uncles Peyton and Eli who each won two Super Bowls, and their ability to make plays with their feet and arms with the strength to throw players open.

Those traits are why the youngest Manning is rated the No. 1 player in the class of 2023 and what led other classmates to commit to the Longhorns. In short, Manning practically got an entire offensive line in one day led by Jaydon Chatman of Killeen Harker Heights, Connor Stroh of Frisco Wakeland, Andre Cojoe of Mansfield Timberview, and Trevor Goosby of Melissa.

The Longhorns signed what most recruiting experts believe to be the No. 1 offensive line class in 2022 and welcomed back quarterback Quinn Ewers, who was committed to the Longhorns in 2020 before decommitting and committing and signing with Ohio State in 2021 only to transfer to Texas before the start of the 2022 spring semester. In short, Ewers was considered the Longhorns’ pied piper when word spread in December that he was looking to transfer. When he signed with the Longhorns, he opened the roadways to Austin from all directions for those who want to restore Texas back to an elite program.

Ewers and Manning join Vincent Young as the only perfectly rated quarterbacks in the history of college football at 1.000. If Manning sticks to his commitment and signs, all three were wear the burnt orange.

While Texas fans have certainly enjoyed the last several days (that included commitments from tight end and linebacker Liona Lefau and receiver Jonah Wilson), a team south has already experienced a record-breaking rating when it finished its 2022 class. That team is Texas A&M and head coach Jimbo Fisher.

All that is to say both teams are assembling the most talent they can with the goal of winning a national championship. Give the Aggies credit. They haven’t shied away from stating that is the goal. It’s why they gave Fisher a 10-year contract worth $75 million when he took the job in 2018. In September, Fisher received a 25 percent pay raise and another three years that will pay him $95 million on a contract that ends after the 2031 season. The Aggies’ class has talent spread over several positions and is rated higher than the 2001 class signed by the Longhorns that became the cornerstone of winning the 2005 national title. The Aggies have the talent to make history in the next four years if the core of their 2022 class remains intact. That could be exciting or disappointing depending on the field results.

Don’t doubt eyes are definitely on the state of Texas as both the Longhorns and Aggies continue to compete for the most talent they can. Love them or hate them, few fans get riled up and bring out strong emotion from each other like these two. It’s what makes recruiting fun to watch and why we remain mesmerized by the games themselves.

It’s why history-making days like the ones just experienced by the Longhorns from June 23-26 are being written about, talked about and noted by those who love college football.

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