What Is The Longhorns' Dream Class Scenario For 2021?

With just days left in the 2021 recruiting cycle, what is the best-case scenario for the Longhorns to fill the final spots in their class?

Matt Galatzan | Feb 1, 2021

With college football's National Signing Day just days away, Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns are in the midst of wrapping up the 2021 recruiting cycle.

Following a lackluster year on the trail, the Longhorns currently rank 18th in SI's recruiting rankings, sitting behind historically less prestigious programs such as Ole Miss, Maryland, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

However, there is still ample ground left to make up for Sarkisian and staff with the few key targets they have remaining.

Fortunately, the excitement and momentum around the program since the coaching change has worked in the Longhorns' favor. So much so that some players that were once thought of as locks for different programs, are now trending in the Longhorns' direction.

But, with so few targets left for programs to pursue after the early signing period, what is the best-case scenario for Texas heading into Wednesday?

That dream scenario will begin with their two remaining commitments, DB Ishmael Ibraheem and WR Keithron Lee, signing on the dotted line on Wednesday morning.

Lee, an electric wideout, has a chance to be a dangerous weapon in Sarkisian's system. While Ibraheem, who ran into some legal troubles just before the early signing period, was the lone Longhorn commit on the SI99 rankings and is one of the most talented defensive backs in the entire 2021 class.

However, while there is a small number of available players remaining after the early signing period, Texas has also managed to make significant ground in the recruitments of a few key targets.

Most notably, Cy Fair running back L.J. Johnson, Mansfield Legacy defensive end David Abiara, Parrish Episcipol offensive tackle Austin Uke, and Pinnacle high school wideout Dorian Singer out of Arizona.

The Longhorns seem to be in good shape to secure the majority of those signatures at this point, but in order to secure the dream scenario, there is no margin for error here.

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Barring that, there is still a sliver of hope for Sarkisian and Co. that they will be able to make a late push on a pair of big-time targets in the coming days. And while each of those scenarios is a longshot at best, there is precedent in regards to surprise commitments and last-minute flips before buzzer sounds on Signing Day.

1. DE J.T. Tuimolau - Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, WA)

The first of those targets is Sammamish, Washington defensive end, J.T. Tuimoloau. Tuimoloau ranks as the No. 2 overall player in the SI99 rankings and does not have the Longhorns in his top five (Alabama, Ohio State, Washington, Oregon, and USC).

But could new Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski help the Longhorns make a push? Time will tell, but Kwiatkowski will certainly be picking up the phone to call Tuimolau in the very least.

2. RB Camar Wheaton - Lakeview Centennial (Garland, TX )

Next up for the Horns, would be running in-state running back target Camar Wheaton, who ranks as the ninth overall prospect and the second-ranked running in the SI99 rankings.

Wheaton is currently an Alabama commit, but there is still some breathing room here for Texas, thanks to the hiring of Sarkisian. In addition to Alabama, the Oklahoma Sooners will also be a major hurdle to clear for Texas, but with Wheaton's recruitment still technically in the air, Texas has a chance to make a late splash.

You can view the entire list of Longhorn signatures for the 2021 class below:

ATH Ja’tavion Sanders - Ryan (Denton, TX)

S JD Coffey - Kennedale (Kennedale, TX)

CB Jamier Johnson - John Muir (Pasadena, CA)

DE Derrick Harris Jr. - New Caney (New Caney, TX)

DE Jordan Thomas - Memorial (Port Arthur, TX)

OLB Terrence Cooks - Shadow Creek (Pearland, TX)

OLB Morice Blackwell - Martin (Arlington, TX)

WR Jaden Alexis - Monarch (Pompano Beach, FL)

RB Jonathan Brooks - Halletsville (Halletsville, TX)

OT Hayden Connor - Taylor (Katy, TX)

DT Byron Murphy II - De Soto (De Soto, TX)

ATH Juan Davis - Everman (Fort Worth, TX)

TE Gunnar Helm - Cherry Creek (Englewood, CO)

DE Barryn Sorrell - Holy Cross (New Orleans, LA)

QB Charles Wright - Austin High (Austin, TX)

WR Casey Cain - Warren Easton (New Orleans, LA)

OT Max Merril - Strake Jesuit (Houston, TX)

P Issac Pearson (Australia)

K Bert Auburn - Flower Mound (Flower Mound, TX), Preferred Walk On

ATH Michael Taaffe - Westlake (Austin, TX), Preferred Walk On

RB Zane Minors - Westlake (Austin, TX), Preferred Walk On

CB - Darion Dunn - McNeese State (Transfer)

LB - Ray Thornton - LSU (Transfer)

DE - Ovie Oghoufo - Notre Dame (Transfer)

Published Feb 1, 2021

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.