Recruiting Needs for June 15

It's hard to believe, but June 15th is already just a week away. Texas will look to land some major commitments here very shortly, so let's take a closer look at some positional needs for this recruiting cycle. The class of 2027 will be freshmen on campus two years from now, so here's an outline of what the roster will look like at that time, given all that we know now, and assuming no players take a redshirt year (for the sake of simplicity).

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MB

SR - Nya Bunton

SR - Ayden Ames

JR - Taylor Harvey

Middle blocker is the #1 need for the Longhorns this summer. Despite an elite 2026 class, Texas skipped out on this position last year, so the coaching staff should be looking to avoid back-to-back years without a MB recruit, especially in trying to maintain its MBU status. There are plenty of good options here to go after.

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OH/OPP

JR - Abby Vander Wal

JR - Cari Spears

JR - Addy Gaido

SO - Henley Anderson

The powerhouse programs in volleyball are who they are partly because they are able to consistently attract the top pin hitters, every program is always looking for more of these. Texas has excelled at this the past two recruiting cycles, landing all of the top 3 in the last two years (Spears, Vander Wal, Anderson). We'll see if that can continue with some of the top 27s:

Ireland Real (PPV 295)

Shaye Witherspoon (PPV 293)

Olivia Henry (PPV 290)

Tessa Larkin (PPV 281)

and more!

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L/DS

SR - Reese Emerick

JR - Callie Krueger

SO - Emma Cugino

By the time 2027s get to campus, Emma Halter, Ramsey Gary, and Anja Kujundzic will be gone, and Texas will look to the next era of defenders. This core right here is a strong start, but adding more depth would be a welcome plus.

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Setter

SR - Rella Binney

SO - Genevieve Harris

Setter is not a high positional need. Unless you play a 6-2 (which after last season, I doubt Texas will be eager to try again soon), you only need one elite setter. Texas coaches speak very highly of Harris, so there's no strong need to get another setter one year after someone who is potentially the QB of the future. I'm not saying Texas is out on setter this year, but it is not the priority.

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This puts the roster at only 12 players, leaving plenty of room for a sizeable freshman class if the Longhorns are successful enough in the recruitment process to achieve that.

In this era of college athletics more than ever, these long-term projections get more and more difficult. Just this year, Texas saw six transfers out and three transfers in. Now that's an extreme example, but it's very unlikely this layout is exactly what the roster looks like in two years. Sometimes, simply trying to land the best talent is the right move regardless of position. But it's also helpful to think about recruiting from a long-term, program-building perspective about the priorities for the staff on the recruiting trail.