Feels like we say the exact same thing about 5* HS WR every year for like the last 15 years now. "No big deal, there's always the portal/next year". Would be kinda nice to actually land them sometimes.
Reviewing the last few years of HS WR recruiting to confirm/disprove my gut feeling:
2023 - pretty good. Landed Cook and Moore, missed on Hale (backed off supposedly) and Greathouse.
2022 - whiffed on Stewart, Burton, Coleman?? Commits were Brenen Thompson and Savion Red
2021 - missed on Earle. Landed X super late and with some luck. Missed on Quay Davis who appears to have promptly fallen off the face of the Earth. Other commits were Jaden Alexis (who?), Keithron Lee (who?), and Casey Cain. Yikes.
2020 - missed on JSN (ouch), Demas (sorta) and Quentin Johnson (ouch). Commits were Kelvontay Dixon, Omeire, and Dajon Harrison.
2019 - missed on Wilson, Dylan Wright, Wease (I think?), and Higgins (I think?). Missed/didn't miss/missed on the Bru McCoy saga. Commits were Whittington (yay), Jake Smith, Marcus Washington, and Kennedy Lewis.
2018 - missed Waddle and Rondale Moore. Commits were Eagles, Josh Moore, Woodard
2017 - huge year for WR. We were in on all of Reagor, Tyrell Shavers, Lamb, Netherly, Omar Manning, and Rambo and landed none of them. Commits were Damion Miller and Jordan Pouncey
So out of the 6 classes prior to 2023, we landed two HS WR worth a damn (X, Whittington), one of whom kinda fell into our lap. Red is a RB now. Promising early returns on Cook and Moore. A lot of this ain't fair because it was previous staffs.
My concern is that the portal is always going to be a gamble. It's worked out well so far but I don't see how you can count on landing a contributor every year. Really, really would like to see us land one of Ryan Williams or Dakorien Moore next year (or maybe this year???) I want to move on from the days of "Waddle/Wilson/JSN were never coming to Texas anyway."