There will be another weapon headed to Steve Sarkisian's offense at Texas.
Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin five-star wide receiver Jaime Ffrench announced his commitment to the Longhorns on Friday morning, making the selection over finalists LSU, Miami and Tennessee.
The decision not only comes ahead of the senior's second game of the season, but on his mother's birthday as well. She and the family made it out to Texas for an official visit near the end of June -- the final official visit he took between finalists.
“It’s definitely how (Sarkisian) runs the offense, the way he’s had success in his offense and the way he keeps a gunslinger at the quarterback position,” Ffrench told Rivals. "They really laid it out for me and showed me why Texas could be my home."
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What it means
Ffrench is the second five-star in the last week to pick UT, following in-state defender Jonah Williams. The commitment haul now includes 19 recruits and the Floridian's decision pushes the program back into the top 10 of the Rivals team rankings in the process.
At the position, it's also a big-time compliment to a recent commitment in fellow wide receiver Kaliq Lockett in early August. One of the few criticisms of the top-10 class was the lack of wide receiver star power, especially as top-ranked Texan DaKorien Moore said no to UT during trip different commitments thus far in the cycle.
Now Ffrench and Lockett represent one of the top wideout tandems on any commitment list nationally as Texas joins Oregon and Florida as the only programs with multiple Rivals top-10 ranked wide receivers locked in.
The massive recruiting win is also the first in the state of Florida for the 2025 cycle, perhaps another indicator of the program's reach now that it sits firmly in SEC country. The Longhorn brand has never been more visible at the position, either, coming off of an NFL Draft in which a pair of UT wide receivers were selected within the first 52 selections overall.
What Ffrench brings to Austin
Texas just landed one of the more polished wide receiver recruits in the 2025 cycle. Ffrench has long been considered an elite recruit and he has flashed dominance in many settings as a pass-catcher dating back to his time as an underclassman talent. This past summer, he was the catalyst for South Florida Express' run to the OT7 national championship and he was just as steady at Rivals Five-Star. Last fall, he put together one of the most productive seasons nationally, hauling in 62 passes for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Always a bit of a size mismatch against a defender at 6-foot-2, Ffrench is not only physical off the line of scrimmage but he can win with that trait at the catch point with his length and ball skills. As a route-runner, he understands leverage and can flip a defender's hips at the top of the break, with a smooth transition thereafter to all three levels. We saw more deep speed from Ffrench in the offseason, too, with more of a willingness to run by secondary players anticipating a sharp cut.
The competitiveness Ffrench shows on the outside aligns with a true WR1 from a mental perspective, as he can demand the football and produce despite considerable attention. It also helps him pick up yardage in chunks after the catch, perhaps the most underrated element in his game. A wide catch radius combines with his length to form one of the top sideline and/or red zone targets nationally, too.
Moving forward, Ffrench knows he has to continue to fill out his frame to enhance his strengths. He checked in at the Rivals Five-Star event at 185 pounds, but he has a slim, yet muscular look to him still. It doesn't take much imagination to see him carrying 200 pounds at the collegiate level, where his alpha mentality could become even more apparent.
If a comparison is to be made, Ffrench's game is similar to that of longtime NFL star Keenan Allen, so we don't expect him to wait very long to see considerable action at the next level.
