Texas spotlight: Best fits among committed prospects

Texas-based Power Five programs are generally off to a strong start in 2018. With optimism that comes along with new coaching staffs at Baylor and Texas, more players are finding it easier to want to stay at home. And even though Texas Tech is ranked lowest among the bunch, the Red Raiders are still ranked a very respectable 33rd in the nation. Here is a look at players that seem the best fits where they have committed.

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This season hasn’t started well for new head coach Matt Rhule, but growing pains shouldn’t be surprising. Help is certainly on the way, and one of the focal points of Baylor’s class to this point is four-star defensive end Joshua Landry. Landry showed over and over that he is one of the state’s premier pass-rushers, and should be a key contributor for the type of aggressive defensive Baylor is looking to re-establish. In his team’s season-opening game against Klein Collins, Landry was as menacing as any defensive player on the field, working his way into the backfield, lined up everywhere from defensive tackle to completely off the line as a stand-up edge rusher.

The heart of the Longhorns’ recruiting class so far in 2018 is the vaunted group of defensive backs. Out of all the big names in that bunch is Cibolo-Steele safety Caden Sterns. Even in a loss to USC, Texas fans saw an inspired performance from DeShon Elliott, and Sterns offers the same sort of potential. Both are thicker defensive backs that are over 6-foot, with good instincts in coverage as safeties. Sterns was the topic of conversation following his commitment that he could be used as much at cornerback as he could safety, but regardless of whether or not that ends up being the case, it speaks to his ability to cover receivers one-on-one.

Leon O’Neal is the pick for the Aggies as a perfect fit for emotional reasons as much as his ability as a player. During the summer, it seemed as though Texas and Texas A&M were exchanging commitment haymakers with each other, as each took turns collecting blockbuster prospects, and O’Neal clearly took up with the Aggies. Despite the questions surrounding head coach Kevin Sumlin’s future, O’Neal was particularly outspoken from the start in his intention to really want to see his commitment through. He is the type of hitter A&M could use in the secondary, but some have said that he could potentially size up to be a hybrid safety-linebacker, and O’Neal has some physical similarities to other A&M linebacker commits. Although he strikes some as a bit of a boisterous personality, there’s no doubt he’s a very important commit for the Aggies for a variety of reasons.

In other non-surprising recruiting news, the Red Raiders have a sizeable group of wide receivers committed in their 2018 class. Any of them could prove to be the one that leads this year’s crop, but the one that perhaps bring the most big-play potential is Kesean Carter. Carter has the most explosive playmaking potential out of the quintet of receivers committed in this class as both a receiver and return man on special teams. He’s a little small, but in an Air Raid offense with the ability to hit his top speed in an instant, he seems the most likely to create those ‘wow’ moments.

In similar fashion to Carter, Taye Barber brings the same sort of big-play potential to TCU’s offense. As a player who can turn a bubble screen into a game of pinball, Barber should be put in position to make players miss in space nearly every time he touches the ball. The Horned Frogs have done well to add a number of bonafide playmakers to their class this year, so it speaks volumes that Barber seems the favorite to garner much of the attention down the road. TCU fans wondering who could be the next person to step into that KaVontae Turpin role need look no further than Barber.