Meet the 2022 early enrollees already on Texas’ campus, including a plethora of defensive talent

Despite finishing his first season in charge 5-7, Steve Sarkisian has generated a solid amount of buzz thus far for Texas through the 2022 recruiting cycle.

Having signed the bulk of the Longhorns’ 2022 class during the early signing period — which ranks first in the Big 12 and No. 5 nationally, according to 247Sports — the full group stands at 27 signees and one hard commit.

Ten of those signees have already been admitted to UT, arrived on the 40 Acres and enrolled early in order to participate in spring workouts. Here’s a quick look at those early enrollees from Texas’ 2022 recruiting class:

Terrance Brooks, CB

Brooks could have been an early enrollee at Ohio State — like his new teammate Quinn Ewers — but flipped to Texas from the Buckeyes on early signing day. The No. 9 corner in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports, Brooks played his high school ball at John Paul II, before transferring to Little Elm prior to his senior season. His father, Chet Brooks, is a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the San Francisco 49ers and a former Carter standout. Possessing that elite pedigree, the four-star recruit also has all the physical capabilities to be a top-level corner with his massive wingspan and explosive speed.

Bryan Allen Jr., S

Another highly-rated four-star DB, Allen is touted as the No. 10-ranked safety in the 2022 class. Allen hails from Aledo, where played football and ran track, like Brooks. As a junior, he was named the Texas 5A Defensive Player of the Year by the Texas Sportswriters Association after leading Aledo to the Texas 5A D-II state championship. After choosing the Longhorns over Alabama, LSU and Auburn, Allen could earn serious playing time in 2022.

Justice Finkley, EDGE

Sarkisian definitely needed to bring in some talented edge rushers ahead of the 2022 season, and while he is still looking to add one from the portal, he already has one in Finkley. One of two recruits who hail from east of the Mississippi River, Finkley is the lone recruit from Alabama in Texas’ 2022 class. He is ranked as the No. 7 prospect from his home state and is the No. 10 edge rusher in his class. Finkley was a standout at the Under Armour All-American game, where he drew praise from recruiting analysts and scouts.

Jaray Bledsoe, DL

At 6-4, 270 pounds, Bledsoe possesses the size to be a top-level college player. He missed out on his senior season at Marlin High School, after transferring from Bremond, where he was All-District as a defensive lineman and running back his junior year. Like Allen and Finkley, Bledsoe was also an All-American selection, ranked as both a top 25 recruit in his position and in the state of Texas.

Jaylon Guilbeau, CB

Yet another DB, Sarkisian will improve his secondary with the talented Guilbeau. Hailing from Port Arthur, Guilbeau also ran track in high school. An Under Armour All-American, Guilbeau initially committed to Texas, before flipping to TCU, but he ultimately signed with the Longhorns. He is a four-star recruit and the 21st-best in his position, according to 247Sports.

Maalik Murphy, QB

One of three Class of 2022 offensive signees to have already arrived on the 40 Acres, Murphy will look to get situated in Sarkisian’s quarterback room right away and compete for the starting job with Quinn Ewers and Hudson Card. Murphy is the No. 11-ranked quarterback in the nation, and is a four-star prospect. After COVID-19 marred most of his high school athletics career, Murphy led his school, Junipero Serra, to a California state title in just his first full season as a varsity starter. Murphy his a massive prospect, standing at 6-4.5, 225 pounds, and was an Elite 11 finalist alongside Ewers in 2020.

Jaydon Blue, RB

It’s safe to say Texas is just fine at running back for the 2022 season with Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, but Blue could be the Longhorn back of the future. A four-star recruit out of Klein Cain in Houston, Blue is the No. 15 running back in his class. Blue racked up six games with 200-plus yards as a junior, and was named Texas District 15-6A Offensive MVP that season, as well as Offensive Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore.

Larry Turner-Gooden, S

Starting to notice a pattern? Yet another four-star defensive back signee, Turner-Gooden was the most recent Texas commit, having signed to the Longhorns at the All-American Bowl. He hails from Bishop Alemany in Mission Hills, Calif. where he was a two-way player as both a receiver and a safety. He ranks inside the top 25 for both the safety position and the state of California.

Cole Hutson, OL

Prior to the Horns with Heart initiative, which promised to grant each Texas scholarship offensive lineman $50,000 annually, Hutson was the only four-star commit on the offensive line, at a time when Texas was desperate to sign lineman. Eventually, Texas would make a late push to end up signing six lineman on early signing day, but Hutson is the only one to enroll at UT early. Straight out of Frisco High School, Hutson is the No. 16-ranked inside offensive lineman in the nation, and spurned offers from Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Alabama. An all-district selection, Hutson will supplement a position group that is in need of bodies. He also played baseball at Frisco, and his father, Scott, played baseball for Arizona State.

Aaron Bryant, DL

The only three-star early enrollee, Bryant joins fellow defensive lineman Finkley and Bledsoe on campus this spring. Bryant is the only Class of 2022 Longhorn signee to hail from Mississippi, where he was a standout at Southaven High School. Bryant stands at a massive, 6-4, 305 pounds, and is a top 10 recruit in his home state, having held offers from Alabama, Texas A&M and Georgia.

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