The 2023 Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) football state championship games began on Wednesday morning at AT&T Stadium in Arlington with the Class 1A Division I state final, and the last of those games — the Class 6A Division II championship — will take place on Saturday evening. The state championship weekend in Arlington will serve as the conclusion of the 2023 high school football season in the Lone Star State.
There is almost always a future Texas Longhorn still playing when the Texas high school playoffs reach their ultimate round, and this year is no exception, as three UT commits will take the field this weekend seeking to end their high school careers with a state championship.
2024 wide receiver Freddie Dubose and his Smithson Valley teammates will face perennial state finalist Aledo tonight in the Class 5A Division I state final. On Saturday afternoon, 2024 linebacker/edge defender Colin Simmons and 2024 defensive tackle Alex January will attempt to lead their Duncanville team to a second consecutive Class 6A Division I state title in a championship game rematch with Galena Park North Shore.
A year ago at the close of the 2022 season, five recruits then committed to the Longhorns were members of teams that won Texas state championships, and three others played for champion teams from other states. Seven of those eight state champions are now freshmen on the Longhorn football roster (Johntay Cook, Tre Wisner, Malik Muhammad, Billy Walton, Tausili Akana, Liona Lefau, and Sydir Mitchell), while the other, then-junior Jaden Allen, later de-committed and has been an Arkansas pledge since April.
Two of the Longhorns’ out-of-state commits in the 2024 class were part of teams that won state titles last week. Five-star offensive tackle prospect Brandon Baker and his Santa Ana (California) Mater Dei teammates won California’s Open Division state championship last Saturday, and Michael Kern, a punter from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) St. Thomas Aquinas, finished his career that same day with his team winning Florida’s Class 3M state championship.
Below, I’ll give a breakdown on the three Longhorn commits who will be in action this weekend, and the teams they’ll be facing. The games throughout state championship weekend will be broadcast on Bally Sports Southwest and on the Bally Sports app. Full information on the games for fans and potential spectators can be found on the UIL’s website