Texas Football Recruiting: Top Targets, Positional Needs and Predictions

The Longhorns may currently be projected to have the second-rated recruiting class in the country, but now is not the time for them to be celebrating.

The battle for players must continue until February 1 passes, even with the players currently committed to the Longhorns.

As Coach Bobby Bowden once said in a Sports Illustrated report, with only a verbal commitment and no National Letter of Intent signed, “no means go.”

The Longhorns have to just hope that their current commitments stay firm on their decision and there isn’t much they can do if a recruit changes his mind, but there is a lot they can do to convince the still-undecided players to come to Texas.

There are some really good players out there for grabs that can make a huge impact for the Longhorns.

Here is a look at some of the impact players the Longhorns are still chasing and whether or not it is likely they will land at the 40 acres.

Corner/Receiver/Running Back Daje Johnson

Yes, he has played each of these positions at some point in his high school career.

Currently committed to TCU, Johnson is a speedy 185-pound athlete who is listed as running the 40 in 4.34 seconds.

Johnson is so athletic that when the Nike camp was held last year, Burnt Orange Nation reported that he broke the all-time record for the SPARQ rating, which is calculated by combining a player’s 40 time, shuttle time, powerball toss and vertical leap.

Orangebloods has reported that he loves to play on both sides of the ball and is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team the most during college. With Texas in desperate need of more offensive prowess, they seem to have indicated to him that they want the ball in his hands and would prefer to have him play offense for them.

Since he verbally committed to TCU last year, he has drawn a lot of interest from other schools and seems to be considering his options again. He is scheduled to visit Texas on January 27 and has said that Texas is high on his list.

Prediction: Johnson will be a Longhorn next season.

He will enjoy his visit to Texas and choose them over TCU and the other suitors because he can get a lot more exposure on the national scene there while still staying close to his home in Pflugerville.

The Longhorns will likely play him at wide receiver or in the flex position, where they can get the ball in his hands in the open field.

Although he will be challenged by the other young, talented players on the Longhorns offense, if he lives up to his potential and works hard, he can be very successful at Texas.

Wide Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham

No surprises here.

Like many other schools, Beckham is at the top of the Longhorns’ list of recruits they want to sign.

The Hillcrest High School product is one of the top-rated recruits in the country and the type of player that can make an immediate impact for the Longhorns.

Signing Beckham could push the Longhorns over the top and back into the top-rated recruiting class of 2012.

Prediction: Beckham won’t be the cherry on top of the cake that the Longhorns are looking for.

According to stltoday.com, Beckham is currently down to a list of five schools he is considering, including Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Missouri.

However, with a young quarterback core not showing outstanding potential, I see Beckham going to a school where the quarterback can actually get him the ball plenty and where his talents are fully on display for the nation to see.

With so much talent, Beckham is not the kind of player that will stay in college long, and he won’t have time to wait for the Longhorns’ young quarterbacks to mature.

I would guess that he ends up with at either Oklahoma, with Landry Jones deciding to return to school next year, or Arkansas, one of the top-rated passing offenses last year.

Offensive Tackle Arik Armstead

Armstead, a big, strong individual that can add much needed manpower to an offense that plans on running the ball a lot next year, was originally committed to USC, but decommitted during his senior year of high school.

He has offers from just about everyone, including Alabama, USC, Notre Dame, Michigan, Auburn and many others.

Prediction: Texas snatches a lot of great athletes away from other states, but this is one battle that he likely won’t win.

Armstead is a California native, and one of the reasons he committed to play at USC so early on was so that he could stay close to home.

His brother already plays at USC, and there are reports from The Sacramento Bee that Coach Kiffin is expected to make a visit to his home soon, a move that comes as a surprise to many people.

Several other teams are still set to have a home visit with Armstead, but I think he will ultimately end up at the school he originally committed to.

Tight End Vincent Hobbs

The Longhorns are in dire need of a tight end to complete a class that currently lacks one.

Though Hobbs is only rated as a 2-star prospect by ESPN, the Texas staff sees his potential and ability to develop into a solid player for the Longhorns.

Tight end Christo Kourtzidis, a Florida State commit who was planning on visiting Texas, decided that he was no longer going to do so, which means the Longhorns really need a tight end.

Prediction: If the Longhorns like what they see and make him an offer, they will almost certainly get him.

Several schools, including the likes of Colorado, Memphis, Marshall and many others, have made him offers, but none of these schools compare to the caliber of program that Texas has.

It’s hard to see Hobbs turning down an offer to be a Longhorn.