Longhorns Dubbed Summer's 'Hottest Team' On Recruiting Trail by Sports Illustrated

The Texas Longhorns are the hottest team in the Big 12, and maybe in the country.

The Texas Longhorns have been on a tear on the recruiting trail over the last two months, landing 15 of their 20 total commitments since the start of June. 

The most notable of those commitments, Isidore Newman (New Orleans, LA) quarterback Arch Manning, was the catalyst of that run, with 12 prospects pledging to the program since his decision. 

And now, the national media is beginning to take notice. 

On Thursday, Sports Illustrated's recruiting director John Garcia released his list of the hottest teams on the recruiting trail this summer in each of the Power 5 conferences, with the Longhorns front and center. 

Said Garcia:

Is there any doubt Texas would run away with this offseason honor? An argument could be made for the Longhorns sitting as the hottest recruiting program of the entire cycle at this point, sparked by the pledge of Arch Manning, of course. The program also hit big in the state of Louisiana on the defensive side of the ball in elite safety Derek Williams, and more Bayou targets could eventually join the fold in Austin at a later date.

Most expected a run of offensive recruits following Manning, and that's already come to fruition under Steve Sarkisian, winning close in-state battles like that of twitchy wide receiver Johntay Cook over Texas A&M, but also battles outside of convention like that of Payton Kirkland having gone Texas' way. The fifth offensive lineman to commit following Manning's June decision, Kirkland picked the program over a national offer list

without even making a visit to Austin

beforehand. Last weekend, he became commitment No. 20 overall for UT, and No. 12 since Manning

picked the program over Georgia and Alabama

back on June 23. 

The Longhorns show no signs of slowing down either, with key battles for the likes of running back Cedric Baxter, wide receiver Jalen Halen, tight end Duce Robinson, linebacker Anthony Hill, defensive back Javian Toviano, defensive linemen Hunter Osborne, and many more still on the line. 

Not to mention a major recruiting event coming on Saturday, in which Manning and Johntay Cook, the Longhorns' top commits and biggest recruiters amongst the class, will be in attendance. 

Other teams listed amongst the hottest on the trail this summer included Miami from the ACC, Alabama from the SEC, Ohio State from the Big 10, and Washington from the Pac-12.

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You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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