Longhorns Country

Top 2023 RB Rueben Owens De-commits From Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns recruiting momentum took a big hit after their first commitment of the 2023 class, Rueben Owens, de-committed on Thursday morning.

Matt Galatzan

Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns lost a major commitment on Thursday morning when 2023 El Campo running back Rueben Owens de-committed from the program.

Owens, who is one of the top running back recruits in the nation for the 2023 class, as well as one of the top overall recruits in the state of Texas, made his announcement via Twitter.

READ MORE: Longhorns Recruiting: NFL Scout on Arch Manning vs. Trevor Lawrence

"I am beyond thankful for all of the love and support from the Texas Longhorns coaching staff, fanbase, and recruiting media," Owens said in a statement. "There is a lot to carefully evaluate especially this early and now I see that. Although the University of Texas will still be one of the programs I will consider, I am officially de-committing and reopening my recruiting campaign. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support during this process, we only get one shot at this decision and I would like to make sure it's the best fit for me and my future when I decide. Thanks for everything Longhorn nation during the time of my commitment. #HookEm"

Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 187 pounds, Owens was set to join an extremely talented Longhorns running back room that boasts Heisman Trophy candidate Bijan Robinson, Roschon Johnson, incoming freshman Jonathan Brooks, and top 2022 commit Jaydon Blue. 

Now, the Longhorns will be sent back to the drawing board, as they look to re-secure Owens's commitment later down the line.

READ MORE: LOOK: QB Arch Manning Is In Texas - and in a Longhorns Uniform

Owens de-commitment particularly stings for the Longhorns, not just because of the potential loss of his immense talents on the field, but due to his close relationships with other top Longhorns targets, such as Isidore Newman (New Orleans, LA) QB Arch Manning, and DeSoto (Dallas, TX) WR Johntay Cook.

Owens had considered himself the 'head of the snake' in the Longhorns 2023 recruiting efforts, as he discussed with LonghornsCountry.com in an exclusive interview.

"First of all, it’s an honor to be headed of the snake in the 2023 class for Texas but I’m going to keep trying to get guys to join me," Owens told us. "I promise this will be something special. It’s only right. 

"(I'm recruiting) Anthony Hill, Jalen Hale, David Hicks, Dalton Brooks, Johntay Cook ll," Owens continued. "That’s in-state. I got a couple of out-of-state that are going to join soon. Just keep your eyes open."

Arch Ruben Johntay

Owens is also coming off of visits on two consecutive weekends in Austin, the lastest of which saw him spending an immense amount of time with Manning and Cook in particular. 

The rising junior has fielded comparisons to former Alabama Standout T.J. Yeldon, due to his balance, top-end speed, and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. 

Owens had chosen the Longhorns over other powerhouse programs such as Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, and Texas A&M, and also held offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, USC, Penn State, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, and Colorado, among others. 

While Owens was clear that Texas is still a top contender for his signature, where he goes from here, will be revealed in the coming days. 

CONTINUE READING: What Longhorns Recruiting Targets Had To Say After The Star-Studded June 11-13 Visit Weekend

Can the Longhorns get Owens back? Comment and join in on the discussion below!

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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