What's Next for Texas After Loss of Dakorien Moore to Oregon?

The Texas Longhorns have a lot of work to do to remain powerhouses in the recruiting game, but not all hope is lost.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walks into the stadium with his team ahead of the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff semi-finals at the Ceasars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jan. 1, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA

Dakorien Moore’s recruiting journey was a whirlwind, culminating in one of the most chaotic announcement nights of the entire cycle.

Moore is one of the crown jewels of the class of 2025, ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect by On3 and many other recruiting websites. Initially, the Dallas native had committed to LSU to play alongside No. 1 overall prospect and quarterback Bryce Underwood, but the receiver wanted to look elsewhere, de-committing from the Tigers in May.

Since then, Texas, Oregon, Ohio State, and LSU have been strongly pursuing the target. On July 3, seemingly out of nowhere, Moore announced he would be committing live at 8 P.M. on the 4th of July, a fitting commitment date for a player sure to bring fireworks with his decision.

Texas and Oregon, specifically, seemed to be the last teams in the running. Message boards and insiders frantically searched for clues and updates, and it seemed like every 30 minutes there was a new tweet expecting him to lean one way or another.

Then Pete Thamel arrived. With the clock ticking down to under 60 minutes before the big recruitment, Thamel tweeted that Moore had declared to play for the University of Oregon, leading to an avalanche of thoughts and tweets. Moore himself called Thamel “goofy”, and the ESPN insider was put on blast by the public. Moore moved his commitment date back an hour, and the college football world waited.

Texas fans seemed nervously confident all over social media, but that didn’t turn out to be enough. Around 9 P.M., Moore announced his commitment to Oregon, officially making himself a Duck and leaving behind Texas for a school that has, frankly, dominated the Longhorns so far this cycle.

Many fans were devastated, and reactions were mixed among the fanbase. The big question from everyone, however, is where does Texas go next?

Well, head coach Steve Sarkisian still has some targets. The fourth-year head coach received some criticism after the decision, with questions about his strength in recruiting, but much of it felt unwarranted. The Longhorns sit as On3’s 15th-best recruiting class, a surprisingly low mark for a school like Texas. But context is still very important.

Texas Longhorns Head Coach Steve Sarkisian during spring practice at the Frank Denius practice fields in Austin, Tuesday , March 19, 2024. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman

Sarkisian has had a top-six class each of the last four cycles, and he does not plan to have that change. When looking at the top 20 uncommitted players in the class of 2025, according to On3, Texas is strongly in the mix. On3’s recruiting prediction machine has Texas favored to land five of the 20 players. The only schools expected to land more than one are Alabama with three and Georgia with two. 

Texas is far from confirmed to get these players, but the Longhorns are actively pursuing, and possibly ahead, on the recruiting of four five-star talents. From the last two cycles, the average top-five class includes three five-star players according to On3. Texas lacks a player of that caliber so far in the 2025 class, but if they were to hit on three of the four five-stars, the Longhorns would instantly shoot into a top class in the nation.

That doesn’t even account for the rest of the important players the Longhorns are actively after. The Longhorns are strongly in the running for eight four-star players, which is the same number they already have committed. Sarkisian will need to do a lot of work to grab a majority of these recruits, but the important thing to remember is that Texas has more expected players of interest than any other school in the nation.

At the wide receiver position, it’s hard not to be concerned after losing Moore. Texas was hoping to start a Cook-Wingo-Moore pipeline of elite receiver recruits in Austin that could help them land the top pass-catchers in 2026. Moore, however, wasn’t the only top receiver Texas was after. Moore may be the top-ranked wide receiver recruit, but the No. 3 and No. 4 receivers have also shown strong interest in Texas.

The Longhorns currently have their eyes on Kaliq Lockett and Jaime Ffrench, the third and fourth-rated wide receivers, and top 20 overall players in the class. Alongside the two studs, athlete Michael Terry III has been trending towards Texas. The runningback wide receiver hybrid is listed as an athlete and is also a five-star in the 2025 class. 

Not to mention, the Horns are still in contention for other four-star receivers such as Tanook Hines and Daylan McCutcheon - both of whom could show new interest without Moore in the conversation.

Acting like Texas didn’t want Moore is incorrect, but acting like Texas is doomed is also a premature - and frankly bad - take. The Longhorns could very well walk away with two of the top four receivers in the class, something that hasn’t happened since Texas A&M’s historic 2022 class.

There is a ton of pressure on Sarkisian and wide receiver coach Chris Jackson to secure, at a minimum, three of their top five targets, but Texas has shown that they can win final battles in the past. The Moore commitment was a concerning one, but it is not the end-all-be-all in Austin.