So What's The Deal With Real?

Recent reports here at VB Adrenaline have been that Texas is among the favorites, if not THE favorite, to land the most coveted prospect in the 2027 class, 6'4" outside from WAVE Volleyball Ireland Real. Other teams in the running include Wisconsin, Stanford, and SMU. But what exactly does that mean? Where is Texas at in the recruiting process for her? Is there actually a chance of landing Real with such a stacked OH depth chart in the two recruiting classes before her?

Current status update: Texas is involved in recruiting Ireland and talking to her family, and is hoping to get an official visit set up soon. According to Associate HC David Hunt, "everything that we hear is that she wants to take some visits," and there appears to be no rush to commit immediately. And I think that's a great move both for her and for Texas, and Hunt agrees. "Everyone thinks that we try to get kids to commit early or force them to do something and it's like no no no, we want kids to take visits because we have everything to offer. She comes on campus and we have every perk available, which does us justice." The more exposure recruits have to everything the University of Texas has to offer, the more likely they are to come here.

And great for Ireland too. There seems to be a lot of social stress about wanting to commit ASAP after June 15th, and this idea that good players commit quickly and players that aren't as good take longer. But there's simply no good reason for that to be the case, and it's great that Ireland is truly weighing her options and getting to know each program before making a decision about what her 4+ years of college will look like. Especially for the top athletes in the class, you hold the power and you have the choices in front of you, so take the time to make the right one.

Ireland was and still is the #1 on Texas' big board, and that's probably true for several other schools as well, due to her physicality and personality on the court. The culture and relationships within a program appear very important to her, being from a tight-knit family, and those things are a strong priority for Jerritt Elliott and Texas as well. Recruiting is a two-way street, and there are some interests that align between Ireland and Texas, which is probably a reason for the seeming mutual interest in the first place.

Right now, Texas is in a place of cautious optimism. Hunt says "We definitely feel like we're in a good spot, but those things always can change quickly... all the other big schools are also in the mix, so you just never know," jokingly adding "I mean she hasn't committed yet, so it makes you feel like you've got a shot." It's not uncommon for a recruiting process to be going well, then to receive a phone call that the athlete is committing elsewhere. So for now, no immediate news is probably a good thing for Texas. This is looking like a saga that could potentially even last until the fall, and props to Ireland for that.