Let's not cry over all of the spilled milk that Kelvin Banks left on the floor for Steve Sarkisian and his staff on Sunday.

It happened.

Track marks remain.

Possible implications for future recruiting decisions have been created.

Everyone knew going into this month that Banks' decision represented a critical crossroads in the quest for Sarkisian and Co. to put together a top-five national recruiting class and an offensive line group that would make Longhorns fans feel better about the disaster that was 2021 offensive line recruiting. Well, when the decision goes the other way, we can't suddenly emerge from the dust and pretend that nothing happened while an inch of mulch is covering everyone from head to filthy flip-flops.

The reality is that Sarkisian is not getting the same benefit of the doubt that Charlie Strong and Tom Herman received only a few years ago. Maybe all of this feels a little too much like the Little Boy Who Cried Wolf to the teenagers of the Lone Star State. The reason why it exists matters less than the reality of its existence.

Sarkisian is going to have to win to turn this around.

The elite of the elite prospects, the kind that win national championships and project as future first- or second-day NFL draft picks, want to see it with their own eyes. Sark isn't being afforded a ghost-man on second base to jump-start a run-scoring inning in recruiting in 2022. As strong as this staff is on paper on the recruiting front, it apparently cannot yet make it rain in head-to-head competitions for the biggest difference-makers.

That's not my opinion. That is just what is happening.

From my vantage point, what has to happen next is way more about reversing the trend with the 2023 recruiting class than it is daydreaming about being able to flip kids that have passed on the Longhorns in 2022. I'm not saying that it isn't possible, I'm just saying that if we get to five months from National Signing Day and the best prospects on your recruiting board still want to see you do something on the field before making a leap of faith, what those prospects are really doing is putting you in a friend-zone. Like all friend-zone situations, it's not always a death blow, but it's usually one.

Texas must beat Louisiana. Texas must beat Arkansas. Texas must beat Oklahoma. Texas must win 10 games. Texas must play in a major bowl game.

Anything short of that and we're all at major risk of finding ourselves in this same exact situation with the elite of the elite in the Class of 2023.

This isn't me screaming "fire!" in a crowded theater (do those even exist anymore?), as much as it's me simply stating loudly enough for everyone to hear that keeping your head on a swivel is a must.

Nothing should surprise you. Don't let anyone convince you that there are burnt-orange locks out there. There is no need for panic. The stakes are the stakes, whether anyone likes it or not.Texas needs to win now and win big or it will continue to lose the elite of the elite in recruiting.

You can absolutely take that to the Bank(s).

No. 2 - About that top five recruiting class...

A month ago, I wrote that in order for the Longhorns to finish with a top-five level recruiting class, they would need to ...

TO READ THE REST OF KETCH'S 10 THOUGHTS FROM THE WEEKEND, CLICK HERE.

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