Take Two: Will Longhorns take advantage of stacked 2021 class?
Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.
Rivals Rankings Week:
Tuesday: 2021 Rivals100 revealed | Vandagriff No. 1 | Mind of Mike | Top QBs | Potential 5-stars
Wednesday: 2021 Offensive position rankings
Thursday: 2021 Defensive position rankings revealed
THE STORYLINE
The state of Texas is loaded at the top of the initial 2021 Rivals100 with three players in the top 10.
And it could mean a huge recruiting haul for Texas as the Longhorns are seriously involved with all three standouts.
Coming in at fifth nationally is Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial’s Camar Wheaton, the top-ranked running back in the class. The top two offensive tackles in the 2021 class are Savion Byrd from Duncanville, Texas, at No. 7 overall and Tommy Brockermeyer out of Fort Worth (Texas) All Saints Episcopal at No. 10.
All three are seriously considering the Longhorns early in their recruitment, but many other programs are also involved including many national powerhouses who have been in the College Football Playoff recently.
History is not on Texas’ side in this case. Although the Longhorns have recruited well in-state in Rivals history dating back to 2002, they have never signed the top three players from the state during that time.
Could the 2021 class make history with signatures from Wheaton, Byrd and Brockermeyer?
FIRST TAKE: SAM SPIEGELMAN, TEXAS & LOUISIANA ANALYST
“The Longhorns have early offers out to all three prospects and have certainly established themselves as serious contenders for all three. Wheaton is high on Texas as well as Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and TCU, among others, and given what’s transpired with Zachary Evans, you can bet on the coaching staff making Wheaton a major priority.
"Byrd is teammates with new Texas verbal commitment Ja’Quinden Jackson and there are obvious connections between Duncanville and Austin, and Byrd could be a product of it.
"Brockermeyer is a Texas legacy and an early lean toward his father’s alma mater, which could set the foundation for one of the country’s best 2021 hauls. Texas could definitely sign all three, although other programs are not giving in.”
SECOND TAKE: MIKE FARRELL, NATIONAL RECRUITING DIRECTOR
“Wheaton is early in the process and if the Longhorns strike out on Zachary Evans, especially since he’s not listing Texas anymore, Wheaton would definitely be a big need for the 2021 class. They’re in good shape with both offensive linemen, especially Byrd.
“It’s a really good year in Texas in 2021. It’s probably the best at the high-end level that we’ve seen in quite some time. A lot is going to depend on how the Longhorns do this season. Everybody is expecting them to push Oklahoma or at least close the gap there and if they can do that, recruiting is not the problem. They can recruit the best players in Texas. But they need to show they can take the next step and start winning big on the field. If they do that, then Texas could get all three of these guys.”