

While recruits hit the town, coaches, spouses and recruits’ families trekked to the J.W. Official visitors introduced themselves and their families to attendees during the dinner and, after the meal concluded, were released with their player hosts. The meal, complete with cocktails, beer, wine, flatware rental, a bartender’s fee and an ice sculpture, cost $29,129.40. The guest list hit triple digits when including visitors, Texas’ full-time coaching staff, spouses, recruiting staff and support staff. Marriottįollowing the presentation, recruits and families enjoyed a dinner buffet in a club area on the eighth floor of DKR. “How they pitched everything the university has to offer, the city has to offer, what (Sarkisian) wants to do with the program … that was impressive stuff,” he said.Ħ:45 p.m. John Randle, the father of 2023 tight end recruit and Manning teammate Will Randle, who visited the same weekend, lauded all that Sarkisian and the staff laid out. So the staff rented speakers (price tag: $3,359.12) to put on the field to keep the acoustics pleasant.īefore dinner, visitors took in a presentation the staff dubbed the “Texas total package.” It covers every aspect of the football program, campus life, academics, Austin, life after football and more. DKR has a quality sound system, but when the stands are empty, loud music from it creates an echo. Music, played through speakers UT rented, set the mood.

Bored recruits and family members can quickly kill the vibe of a visit, so Texas used multiple locations simultaneously to keep everyone engaged. Had a great Official visit !🤟🏾🤟🏾 /wWZgi061ry Texas set up six locations for them: in an entryway to Moncrief, an area near the locker room, the players’ lounge, the barbershop, the tunnel leading to the field and the field itself. These shoots have grown in importance in recent years. Then came the most Instagrammable part of the visit: the photo shoot. In the team meeting room, coach Steve Sarkisian and his full-time assistants introduced themselves to the visitors and pitched what Texas has to offer. Players checked in at the recently renovated Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center, which sits as the south end zone of the stadium and houses team operations. Stadium arrival, staff introductions, photo shoot and the “Texas total package”Īfter settling in, recruits shuttled to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. “If you’ve never been to something nice before, you definitely got to experience that at Texas,” said Chris Pilot, Mikal’s father.ģ p.m. Add in the $1,813.74 spent on the custom cakes and snacks and the Longhorns cleared $65,000 before the recruits stepped foot on campus.
The lunch buffet tacked on another $17,319.71. A reservation search for an individual two-night stay this weekend shows the lowest room rate at $870 per night and most well above $1,000 a night. That total factors in a group rate of $419 per night for most of the rooms. Posh hotels in downtown Austin are pricey compared to their smaller college town counterparts: Texas spent $46,696 on the 34 rooms it booked for recruits, family members and some UT coaches and staffers. Staffers had a baby bed and UT blanket waiting for his 1-year-old brother, Beaux. Players’ favorite candies and snacks, which recruiting staffers stocked up on at a local H-E-B grocery store.Ī post shared by Malik Muhammad receiver Mikal Harrison-Pilot arrived with his family of five in tow. Customized 6-inch round cakes, with burnt orange and white icing, a Longhorn on the top and “TEXAS” around the side. In recruits’ rooms, there was enough sugar to make Willy Wonka blush. Chicken tenders, pizza and greens, a soft pretzel bar and a quesadilla station filled guests’ bellies upon arrival. A left turn from the main lobby, with its earthy tones and natural light, led to a conference room with a lunch spread. When Queen Elizabeth II visited the city in 1991, she stayed at the Four Seasons.įor recruits who built up an appetite traveling to Austin (UT spent more than $21,000 on airfare, car service and other travel expenses), refreshments awaited. Texas wants its recruits to feel special, so official visitors stay in the Four Seasons Austin, a five-star hotel that overlooks Lady Bird Lake. Recruits filed in after lunchtime on Friday and immediately stepped into luxurious surroundings. (Tim Warner / Getty Images) Friday, June 17 Arch Manning during an October 2021 unofficial visit to Texas.
