Steve Sarkisian and Texas Longhorns pushing hard to keep four star defensive recruit away from Texas A&M ahead of key visits

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Travis May | Last updated Feb 23, 2025 8:30 AM ET

Any chance that the Texas Longhorns have at screwing over Texas A&M is an opportunity worth pursuing, and it seems Steve Sarkisian and his staff take this quite seriously.

Texas A&M seemed like they may be leading for an in-state linebacker recruit early on as they offered him way back in June of 2023 and hosted him for some camp events, but Texas keeps pushing hard for as many unofficial visits as they can get ahead of the final commitment date (likely this summer).

Tai'Yon "Tank" King, Four Star LB Recruit

Tank King has been a consensus Top 200 four star linebacker recruit for nearly a year now, and in that span Texas has apparently closed the visits gap as Steve Sarkisian and company continue to gain momentum towards adding him to their 2026 recruiting class. As of this weekend, King has locked in official visits and Texas, Texas A&M, and Notre Dame look like his three finalists.

NEWS 4-star LB Tank King has locked in official visits to Texas A&M, Texas and Notre Dame, he tells @ChadSimmons_✈️

Read: https://t.co/y1UYGQ7m9e pic.twitter.com/b5B834ZP9P
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) February 22, 2025

Tank King could continue to rise up recruiting boards this summer and beyond as many begin to realize just how special his 2024 season was. King tallied nearly 150 tackles, more than 20 tackles for loss, three sacks, and forced two fumbles. He was a hyper-productive tackling machine who always found himself close to the ball. It's not wonder why Sarkisian is looking to lock him up as best he can.

There's still likely plenty of work to be done with King's recruitment before he actually commits, but hopefully Sarkisian just pitches the Texas track record of success in sending players to the league. DeMarvion Overshown was selected inside round three in 2023. Jaylan Ford saw mid-round draft capital last year. Now Anthony Hill Jr. looks set to be the next early draft pick at linebacker out of Texas in 2026 if he puts together yet another impressive season this fall.

That should give them an edge over Texas A&M who did send Edgerrin Cooper to the league last year, but largely have failed to develop linebackers. Notre Dame could emerge as a greater threat than even Texas A&M to land King's services, but this still very much looks like an in-state battle. Hopefully Sarkisian lands King. If so, he could be an immediate starter in 2026 at middle linebacker.

We'll be back with more Texas Longhorns coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

If you want to check out how special Tank King could be at linebacker if he lands with the Texas Longhorns just watch his junior season highlights in the video below!

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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