The unsettled nature of the quarterback position for the Texas Longhorns has finally had ramifications on the recruiting trail, as Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln wide receiver John Burt officially opened up his recruitment late Tuesday night after wavering with his commitment for months.
The 6'3, 180-pound pass catcher who broke out as a senior told 247Sports that the play of sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes contributed to his decision, as well as the open wide receivers coach postiion. Texas fired wide receivers coach Les Koenning last week.
Though the Longhorns remain somewhat in contention for the consensus four-star prospect, it's hard to see a new wide receivers coach making a difference in his recruitment, as he's been torn between Texas and Auburn for some time. At check-in day for the Under Armour game, he said that his parents each want him at a different school.
But it seems that the Tigers will win out after hosting Burt on an official visit in early October that signaled Burt's commitment to the Horns was in peril and hosting him again on an unofficial visit in early November.
The slight hope that remains for Texas is hiring a position coach for him and getting him to Austin on an official visit. However, such a visit has not been scheduled and seems like a longshot.
With the recent pledges from Mesquite Poteet wide receiver DeAndre McNeal and Georgia Prep wide receiver Gilbert Johnson, the need is not as high at wide receiver for Texas as it was when Burt first started to waver.
Unfortunately for the Longhorns, an excellent senior season made Burt even more valuable to the class:
In months, Burt has come from being a raw prospect to looking like a true wide receiver, while keeping all the hustle and toughness attributes that made him so appealing even when his pure skills as a pass-catcher looked more limited on film.
And that combination makes him one of the most important recruits in the 2015 class for Texas closing in on Signing Day -- it's clear there's no replacing him now and early contributions are much more likely at this point with his development.
There are several wide receiver targets still on the board, including Aledo's Ryan Newsome, who will announce between Tennessee, Texas, and UCLA on January 23, and Texas Tech commit Carlos Strickland, who has been wavering in his pledge to the Red Raiders but has never seriously considered the Longhorns.
The decommitment of Burt also opens up another spot in the 2015 recruiting class and allows the coaches to better plan which prospects to take leading up to National Signing Day. Not counting potential grayshirt quarterback Matthew Merrick, Texas currently has 25 pledges in the class and should have five or six spots left, depending on whether the staff can count six early enrollees against the previous cycle.