UT now targeting Mikal Harrison-Pilot as WR has the Longhorns in contention

There was a time early in the recruiting process that the Texas Longhorns were recruiting athlete Mikal Harrison-Pilot on the defensive side of the ball. It makes sense since Harrison-Pilot has tremendous versatility and a skill set that could see him thrive as either a defensive back or a wide receiver at the next level.

However, Harrison-Pilot has let it be known that he actually prefers to play offense at the next level – maybe in a Deebo Samuel sort of role that allows him to showcase that versatility – and he says the Texas staff is now recruiting him exclusively at receiver, which has elevated the Longhorns’ chances.

“I’m going to always love Texas because the program, plus coach Sark. I’ve been watching him ever since he was at Alabama just watching what he does,” Harrison-Pilot said. “And (wide receivers) coach (Brennan) Marion, especially what he did at Pittsburgh. That’s a huge boost to me recruiting-wise. I just want to see what they do next year with all of their staff and all of their recruits.”

The 6-1, 185-pound Harrison-Pilot recently dropped a top 12. He said he’s “fully committed” to playing receiver and ready to see what the future holds for him in college at that position. As for where he might eventually wind up playing his college ball, Harrison-Pilot said he’s going to continue to evaluate his 12 finalists and narrow it down little by little.

“I think (what’s next is) just trying to see who is talking to me more since I put them in there. Now it’s just going on these visits, see who is liking me a lot,” Harrison-Pilot said. “Then just move on from there, probably drop a top three or top five.”

TCU, Texas, Houston, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Southern Cal, Cal, Oregon, Michigan, Florida State and Baylor make up Harrison-Pilot’s top 12. At this point, the standout from Temple isn’t sure of any upcoming visits as he and his high school teammates get ready to go through spring football.

“I don’t know of anything just yet. I’m just trying to focus on spring ball right now and then get it all situated,” he said.

When he does line up his official visits, Harrison-Pilot said Texas will “probably” get one of his five trips. A recent trip to the UT campus and a strong connection with Marion have the Longhorns in striking position for the Rivals100 member.

“When (Marion) was at Pittsburgh he had the receiver (Jordan Addison) who you didn’t even know him, then next year he’s the Biletnikoff winner. So he obviously knows what he’s talking about,” Harrison-Pilot said. “Then when I went up there, just watching the drills he did, I took a couple of his drills to our high school. I like what he does a lot with our receivers.”

A four-star athlete, Harrison-Pilot ranks No. 87 on the Rivals100. He has accumulated about 50 scholarship offers.