Cornerback Malik Muhammad had a constant presence in his ear amplifying the virtues of the direction Texas is heading in. Muhammad paid heed to that presence — Arch Manning — and added to Steve Sarkisian’s recruiting class by committing to the Longhorns on Wednesday.
“We were talking when we both had our official visits at the University of Texas. And then he texted me almost every day, telling me, ‘Come to Texas. You’re next. You’re next.’ Every day,” Muhammad said, referring to Manning.
The 5-foot-11, 170-pound Muhammad, No. 38 in the 2023 ESPN 300, attends South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas. As a junior, Muhammad had 70 tackles, 10 pass break ups and three interceptions — returning two for touchdowns — in 2021.
He chose Texas over Alabama and Texas A&M.
“I’m the best player in the nation,” Muhammad said. “(Texas’ coaches) told me I could be the alpha male on the defensive side and they think I can bring a lot of recruits to the team. So that’s a big decision for me. I’ve been winning in Texas my whole life. So that was the biggest part.”
Muhammad is ESPN’s sixth-ranked cornerback in the class of 2023. Texas has the third-ranked class, according to ESPN, and has 10 ESPN 300 recruits. Muhammad is the highest-ranked defensive recruit in its class. Muhammad, safety Derek Williams (No. 76) and cornerback Jamel Johnson (No. 110) highlight the secondary additions co-defensive coordinators Jeff Choate and Pete Kwaitkowski will work with.
“I feel like once they have somebody who can shut down both sides of the field like me, I feel like they’ll make their defense around me,” Muhammad said. “We can be more aggressive up front and in the secondary. “They feel like I can change their whole defense. They feel like I can be the face of the defense.”