You’re nothing if not a product of their environment. This rings true for the Texas Longhorns. The program has fully adopted its newfound SEC status and is throwing about its weight. You’d think the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2025 can rest on their laurels. It appears the rich are seeking to get richer. Steve Sarkisian has dipped his toes in the transfer portal and is naturally causing more than mere ripples.

Texas has had a great first season post-realignment by all accords. However, one facet has been substandard. Their offense hasn’t quite possessed the flamboyance that the CFB sphere has come to expect from a Sark team. With a change at quarterback due headed into 2025, the Longhorns are seemingly seeking to add a deep threat for explosivity. They’ve identified the no.1 overall player traversing the portal as a potential solution- WR Eric Singleton Jr. Singleton leaves Georgia Tech after 2 productive seasons. As if they needed additional incentive, Texas is poised to beat out Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs in landing the thoroughbred Georgia native. It’s not quite exactly retaliation for losing the SEC Championship Game, but it’ll ease some despair.

Longhorns insider Justin Wells leveraged intel about Eric Singleton’s recruitment on the On3 Recruits’ Youtube channel. Singleton is making an official visit to Austin. This comes off the back of visits to Auburn, Ole Miss and Miami. Wells was asked what Steve Sarkisian and the program are pitching to this coveted recruit. He replied, “What are they pitching to Eric Singleton? They are pitching, ‘Hey, Isaiah Bond is about to go to the NFL. He’s going to go in the first two days of the draft. Matthew Golden is probably going to go to the NFL.’ There’s a hole there that they need to fill in with some speed.” Justin Wells proceeded to elaborate on where the recruiting process stands.

“A big thing, I think that people need to remember [is] Hayes Fawcett reported over the weekend that he was down to five schools, and Georgia wasn’t on that list. I think that was surprising to a lot of people. But my understanding is he’s got a pretty high price tag right now, and I think there’s just a few schools that don’t want to potentially overpay…This kid’s going to get a good, good chunk of money. But it’s going to be about where he’s more familiar, where he’s comfortable and where he’s going to get the ball more. Texas has got their eyes on him. They’ve known about this kid for a while. And so it’s going to be interesting once he gets on campus.” he said. 

Georgia was tracking as leaders in the race for Eric Singleton when he initially announced he was entering the portal. However, Singleton himself put the proverbial nail in the coffin of his in-state school. Transfer portal expert Pete Nakos reported Singleton bluntly “doesn’t want to go to Georgia”. Despite the path clearing a little, Steve Sarkisian remains in an uphill battle against his adversaries in luring the pass-catcher.

Eric Singleton unlocks a different offensive dimension for a plethora of teams

The aforementioned explosive, deep-threat potential of Eric Singleton is based on tangible evidence. The guy is really, really quick. A track athlete in high school, Singleton runs a 10.2 100m dash. His transition to football wasn’t exactly linear. Singleton was initially a 3-star prospect. In 2 seasons with the Yellow Jackets, he has garnered 1468 yards and 9 TDs on just north of 100 catches. 6 of those touchdowns came as a true freshman.

It is conspicuous that a move to a “better” program will reciprocally benefit both parties. As such, some of the top schools in the country are chasing Singleton. According to 247Sports’ prediction, Ole Miss is leading the charge. However, Justin Wells explicitly mentioned that he thinks this is “premature”. 

With a visit to Austin on the horizon, Eric Singleton’s landing spot is very much up in the air. Texas does indeed seem an enticing proposition. Playing in an Arch Manning-led offense means your performances will be accentuated under the national lens. This is just one facet amongst a multitude of pitches that Steve Sarkisian can use to his benefit for acquiring his man. That burnt orange strip yearns for the next star in its storied lineage.