It's official. The Longhorns have landed two five-star stud running backs in the last two years with Johnathan Gray's verbal commitment to the Texas Longhorns in the early minutes of his 18th birthday, ending a day of suspense for recruitniks. Gray chose the Longhorns over his other two finalists, TCU and Texas A&M.
The 2012 star will eventually join 2011 commit Malcolm Brown in the backfield to form a superstar tandem for the Longhorns moving forward in the running game. And that's not even mentioning the 2012 recruiting class offensively, which is moving into rarefied air that could be elevated in the coming weeks by a possible commitment from Kennedy Estelle, the Pearland Dawson offensive tackle whose parents love the Longhorns.
For now, just consider the addition of Gray, a running back with essentially no faults other than two shoulder surgeries in the last two seasons. Otherwise, Gray is the prototype -- low to the ground, possessing lateral and short-area quickness, as well as superlative vision both in tight spaces and in the open field to turn long runs into touchdowns. The total package, ladies and gentlemen.
Remember when there were questions about whether Major Applewhite could recruit running backs? Yeah, so long to that meme.
Revel in the highlights. And the night.
Johnathan Gray - RB Aledo Class of 2012 Sophomore Highlight Clip (via TexasPreps)
Hook 'em, Johnathan!