WR Ashton Cozart looking forward to a return trip to UT on Friday
Ashton Cozart is one of the hottest prospects in the state of Texas in the 2023 class, with some of college football’s top programs having extended scholarships to the speedy pass-catcher. Instead of letting the action come to him, Cozart is taking a proactive approach to the recruiting process, and he’ll be busy this weekend checking out a few of the programs that are on his radar.
On Friday, Cozart will make the drive south to check out the University of Texas. On Saturday, he’ll head up to Oklahoma to see the Sooners.
The trip to Austin on Friday will actually be Cozart’s second stop on the Forty Acres in a little more than a month. He was in attendance for UT’s Junior Day in June, and said he’s looking forward to getting around the Texas staff and other recruits again this week.
“I just want to have some fun with all my friends, other recruits, the coaches,” Cozart said. “I want to build a better bond, get to know each other better. Then maybe talk to a few players if they’re there. Just bonding time mostly.”
Texas offered Cozart back in early April. Since then, programs like Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida and Florida State have also entered the race. The Texas offer definitely caught Cozart’s attention.
“It was pretty exciting. It was one of my first big-time schools. It was definitely crazy,” Cozart said. “Texas stands pretty high for me. They’re definitely one of my top schools. If I had a top six, they’d definitely be in there. I talk to coach (Andre) Coleman a lot. They’d be one of my top schools.”
Along with Texas, Cozart said he stays in close contact with schools like TCU, Florida, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. With more than a year to go before he can sign his letter of intent, Cozart has a flexible timeline on when he’d like to wrap up the recruiting process.
“I kind of have an idea of when I want to commit. But as of right now, I’m not too worried about that. I’m just trying to do my best this season, then right after that see where I stand with all these schools and then decide when the right time would be,” Cozart said.
The Longhorns should figure into the mix when Cozart does begin seriously weighing his options, and Cozart said there’s a lot to like about the Texas program.
“It’s definitely just the culture when it comes to football. I love the culture, the history. I like the coaches a lot too. I’ve been talking to coach Sark, coach Coleman,” Cozart said. “I like the energy they bring. I feel the life after football, it will set you up for a great career. It’s just a great situation overall.”
At 6-3 and 178 pounds, Cozart has good size to go along with his terrific speed. That combination is what has college coaches in hot pursuit.
“I feel one thing that makes me stand out being a taller outside receiver, I move a lot quicker than defenses think. For me, I run a 4.4 and can also move side to side pretty fast, so that’s pretty hard to guard at my size,” Cozart said. “I feel my IQ level, studying defenses, I’m pretty good at that. What I need to work on more – there are always things to work on – I can work on being more consistent with my hands.”