Things looked promising for the Longhorns and 2011 Brenham defensive end Brandon Alexander late last week after Alexander's official visit to Austin and an in-home visit from the Texas coaching staff. An official visit to Arkansas over the weekend didn't seem to result in any seismic shifts in his recruitment, either.
Something else did, however, and after reports that Alexander had told some of those close to him that he was going to become a Longhorn, Alexander and his guardian David Barnham reportedly informed coaches ($) on Tuesday that Alexander will commit to Texas A&M and sign his LOI on Wednesday.
The Aggies were the first major school to recruit Alexander, offering him back in September, and that could have weighed heavily with him. Recruitocosm reported on Tuesday that if the decision was up to Alexander alone, he would have chosen Texas. It didn't happen and the thought is that his guardian preferred A&M.
Alexander is a big get for the Aggies, especially considering their highest-rated recruit going into Tuesday was a four-star kicker, their only four-star commit in the class. The commitment from Alexander could also help the Aggies as they pursue the talented 2012 class at Brenham: DT Malcolm Brown, LB Tim Cole, ATH Troy Green, and OL Adrian Bellard. A&M has offered all four and is in a strong position with all of them. Brown is the top defensive tackle in the state and will be a Texas target and Cole could be as well.
For Texas, Alexander would have filled a major need at defensive end, a position that will have only three scholarship players in 2011 -- sophomores Jackson Jeffcoat and Reggie Wilson and freshman Cedric Reed. Dravannti Johnson will fill in at the Buck position and there are rumors that Chris Whaley will move from H-back to DE, but the numbers are still short there.
The Longhorns are still in the mix for Shreveport Evangel DE Jermauria Rasco, with some reports that Texas is in the final two with LSU. The Tigers are, however, still widely considered the leader and have been since Will Muschamp left Texas for the Florida job. Rasco will announce his decision on Wednesday at 2 pm CST.