Houston wants to keep all of the top high school football talent in the city. One of the biggest targets remaining in the 2027 class is South Houston’s Xavier Muhammad.
Who is Xavier Muhammad?
Muhammad is a multi-sport athlete who loves to compete. Currently, he plays basketball and football and throws in field events for South Houston track. He found early success in track and field, and casually mentioned that he set world records as a seven-year-old in the shot put.
He says that basketball was “where everything really started” in regard to his athletic career. Muhammad is a 1000-point scorer in high school and holds a couple of basketball offers. His highlight tape shows him racking up double-doubles and catching alley oops.
His future, however, will be on the gridiron. Muhammad is a consensus four-star recruit and considered a top ten defensive lineman nationally. He also plays tight end for South Houston, but he will be hunting quarterbacks long term. Lining up on defense looks more comfortable for him and better displays his raw athletic ability (6’5”, 250 lbs).
Muhammad displays good get-off at the snap, and he’s often able to win before opposing tackles can get out of their stance. He is very disruptive in the run game as his speed allows him to meet running backs as they get the ball. Muhammad uses his athleticism to chase down sweeps or reverses before they can get downfield.
Relationships with coaches
UH has proximity on its side, and the coaching staff has done well at building a relationship. Muhammad says he hears from the staff regularly and that Houston communicates with him more than the other schools targeting him. He mentioned that Coach James Ross (Muhammad’s primary recruiter) recently called to congratulate him on advancing to regionals in shot put.
As with all of the other recruits I’ve spoken with, relationships are how Houston is winning on the recruiting trail. It is no different with Muhammad. His experience seeing Coach Ross and Coach Oscar Giles in action has been important. He appreciates their approach to teaching the game and how they convey their message to their players.
Houston offered Muhammad last spring when he attended a practice, and as he says, they’ve been “locked in” ever since. He has an official visit set with the Coogs this summer, May 28-30. Even after his recent official visit with Arizona State, he says that Houston is “top five, top six.” He is looking to make his decision in early July, after he completes all of his scheduled visits.
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