Texas football may not have a game this Saturday, but that doesn’t mean head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff will have a free weekend.
Like every other staff in the country, the Longhorn coaches will spend an open weekend on the recruiting trail. And a 5-0 record and a No. 1 ranking in the US LBM Coaches Poll helps open some fieldhouse doors at any high school, Sarkisian said with a grin during his weekly meeting with the media Monday inside Royal-Memorial Stadium.
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“It’s always a good thing when you get to go on the road undefeated and recruit,” he said. “It’s kind of like they roll out the red carpet for you.”
Sarkisian didn’t get into specifics about his recruiting plans and whether they involve a 2025 class with 20 hard commits that’s currently ranked No. 6 in the nation in 247Sports’ composite rankings or a 2026 class that already has three firm pledges.
The coach may take a trip to San Antonio and solidify an offer for five-star athlete Michael Terry III of Alamo Heights High School. He may visit his native Southern California and keep wooing linebacker Madden Faraimo of JSerra Catholic, who’s also considering Washington, Notre Dame, Ohio State and USC.
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Or Sarkisian and his coaches might try for a blanket sweep of the Dallas-Fort Worth area and visit several highly touted recruits in the 2026 class such as offensive lineman John Turntine III of North Crowley, athlete Jalen Lott of Frisco Panther Creek and running back Javian Osbourne of Forney. If he can squeeze a quick trip an hour north to see four-star 2026 defensive tackle Jamarion Carlton of Temple, even better.
Regardless of the position and regardless of the number of stars doled out by the recruiting services, Sarkisian says the visits to a prospect’s school and community offers a rare opportunity to know the player beyond his jersey number. That’s especially important for a coach and a staff that are admittedly not shy about what Sarkisian calls “hard coaching.”
“We all love to recruit, and we love getting on campuses and talking to coaches and teachers and administrators and then watching guys play,” he said. “You start to get a real feel and a sense for the personality as well the character, which is a very big deal to us.
“In recruiting, we try to make it a science, but it’s not, you know? It’s like the NFL Draft. Everybody tries to hit those picks spot on, but why are there first-round pick busts at quarterback? How does that happen? And so, we try to do our best to ask the right questions. Get to know them and listen for real answers, not listen for what you want to hear.”
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football recruiting: Who Steve Sarkisian may visit
