SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- The major recruiting momentum for the Texas Longhorns continued on Saturday at the Alamodome when Miami (Fla.) Westminster athlete Tim Irvin committed to the Horns at the 2015 US Army All-American Bowl.
The 5'9, 186-pounder chose Texas over finalists Florida, Miami, and West Virginia and will enroll early.
Great day here in ATX! #LetsRide
— Charlie Strong (@Strong_TexasFB) January 3, 2015
He also held offers from Arkansas, Boston College, Cincinnati, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, LSU, Michigan State, Mississippi State, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, UCF, UCLA, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Wisconsin, among others.
As with former teammate Devonaire Clarington, the consensus four-star tight end who also pledged to Texas at the Army Bowl at the Army Bowl, Irvin is a member of the so-called "Florida Five."
As with all the other prospects, when Irvin visited Texas in November for what became a crucial performance against West Virginia, landing the future nickel back looked like a longshot.
But now, not even two months later, Irvin, linebacker Cecil Cherry, cornerback Davante Davis, and tight end Devonaire Clarington are now pledged, with Georgia Prep wide receiver Gilbert Johnson likely to follow in short order.
Texas benefitted from the coaching changes at Florida, as Irvin had been recruited by Florida defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson since his freshman year in high school and likely would have ended up in Gainesville if there was assurance that Robinson would be back next season.
There were also major connections to Miami, as the future safety is the nephew of Michael Irvin, who told the younger Irvin to follow his own heart.
And following his heart led Irvin to commit to the Horns.
Ranked as a consensus four-star prospect, Irvin is the No. 276 prospect nationally, the No. 26 athlete in the country, and the No. 38 player in the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Irvin is an excellent athlete at his size and spent significant time on offense during his prep years at his private school. In the open field, his ability to stick his foot in the ground and change direction is absolutely elite, even if he ultimately may be quicker than he is fast on the top end.
The quick feet he shows on offense should translate well to pass coverage on the defensive side of the ball. Since he can he's so fluid and can change direction quickly, he has the skill set to excel in the nickel, especially because he shows some good physicality and hitting ability for a guy who plays so much offense.
Overall, Irvin isn't quite as stocky as former cornerback Quandre Diggs, the outgoing player at the position that Irvin could fill, but he does have some similar attributes as someone who excelled on offense in college, is physical, and has the first step to stick with opposing wide receivers.
A lack of experience on defense could keep him from contributing early, but the potential is there and enrolling early will give him a chance to compete in the spring.
Irvin gives Texas 26 pledges in the 2015 class, a group that now ranks No. 9 nationally in the 247Sports Composite team rankings and No. 1 in the Big 12. Since Texas can take 32 prospects in the class, the Longhorns still have seven spots left in the class.