The one 5-star recruit Texas football can’t afford to lose in 2021

Texas football can’t miss out on this five-star recruit.

The Texas Longhorns have the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big 12 and the No. 9 overall class, according to the 247Sports Team Rankings. Tom Herman and Texas football fans are hoping they can inch closer to the top-five between the summer and the early signing day period at the end of December.

Texas football has increased their recruiting successes since Herman came to Austin to relieve Charlie Strong. The recruiting success has yet to pay off with a Big 12 title, but it could be coming as early as this fall, or if not this year, then in the near future, if the Longhorns are able to sign their coveted five-star recruit.

Ja’Tavion Sanders could be a massive game-changer for Texas football recruiting.

Five-star athlete Ja’Tavion Sanders has been committed to Texas football since September of 2019, but in the crazy world of recruiting, no one is really committed until the letter of intent is signed.

That said, Texas football feels comfortable in Sanders’ commitment to the program, and his high school teammate from Ryan High School in Denton, Texas, Billy Bowman is also a part of the 2021 Texas recruiting class.

But they need to make sure they keep him in the fold.

Sanders is a 6-foot-3.5, 220-pound athlete who projects to be a defensive end for the Longhorns. He’s a flex tight end on the high school level as well, which is why the 247Sports Composite has him ranked as an athlete for now. He is the No. 23 overall recruit, No. 2 athlete and the No. 4 recruit in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Depending on his senior season, there’s a chance Sanders is more of an offensive project for Texas football, but blossoming into a pass-rushing force off the edge could be where he is most impactful. He is able to use his natural athleticism and feel for the game to dominate as an edge rusher against offensive tackles who can’t keep up with his combination of size and strength.

He could be a versatile defender who could play in a few different schemes so he could be a fun chess piece for Texas defensive coaches to line up and move all over the field to take advantage of mismatches. With athletes like Sanders, there involves a lot of projection but his frame suggests he can be the prototype outside linebacker/edge rusher once he gets in a college weight program.

After Sanders, offensive tackle and Texas legacy, Tommy Brockermeyer is the other five-star recruit that Texas football would love to add to the 2021 recruiting class. However, it may look like Alabama is moving toward the top of his list.

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