With 16 commits in the fold, Texas is at the point where it's mostly filled its annual quota for each position and will now be looking for top OOS talent, in-state sleepers, and, most importantly, need-position players. Along with offensive tackle, which will hopefully be assuaged in the form of Andrus Peat, Kennedy Estelle, and Michael Starts, the Horns' primary need is a pass-rushing DE.
Texas already has two defensive ends in the fold in Caleb Bluiett and Hassan Ridgeway. Neither provide much burst off the edge—the former is a strongside DE all the way and the latter is a superb raw athlete that could end up playing tight end. On campus, we yet again possess one of the top DE rotations in the country in Alex Okafor, Reggie Wilson, and Jackson Jeffcoat, but after that the cupboard is about as bare as you could imagine. A good season this year could vault the talented Okafor to the draft, with a similar chance for the equally, if not more talented Wilson and Jeffcoat the following year. This is where finishing second with Jermauria Rasco and Brandon Alexander just killed us.
Which brings us to Torshiro Davis, a veritable lightning bolt off the line. Davis is a Louisiana product and current LSU commit, but, fortunately for Texas, new DT coach Bo Davis was recruiting "Shiro" ("White" in Japanese, for those of you less versed in the Anime genre) when he was at Alabama and they have an extremely good relationship. Recruitocosm calls him a "Mack Brown type kid," so you know he's a model citizen. Yet again, Searels, Diaz, and Davis' former SEC connections pay off in the form of getting a kid interested in Texas and encouraging Mack Brown to open up to the idea of recruiting out of state. Yes, yes, I know, you'll believe it when they commit.
More after The Jump.
Now, as we've all heard a thousand times, the key to getting a kid to legitimately consider Texas is getting him on campus. Voila, per Hookem.com, Davis says he will attend Texas' football camp over the summer, so that is a huge, huge egg in our basket. Also from Hookem, we've already extended an offer, so there won't be any need for us fans to spend nights praying to our deity(ies) of choice that Mack relents to his assistant coaches and fully commits to reeling in a kid *cough* Kendall Sanders *cough* *ahem* Quandre Diggs *ahem*. By recruiting an OOS target that is committed to another big-time program, Mack's already shown his willingness to throw his hat in the ring 100% for Shiro.
Bio:
Name: Torshiro Davis
Hometown: Shreveport, LA
High School: Woodlawn
Position: WDE
Size: 6'3", 220 lbs.
Rating: 247—95, 4*; Scout—4*
Ranking: 247—71 Nationally, 7th WDE; Scout—138 Nationally; 16th DE
Strengths:
- Truly incredible and elite first step. Gets off the ball faster than a vast majority of defensive line prospects that I've seen.
- Excellent straight-line speed. Runs like a linebacker. Has pure speed to chase down plays directed away from him and recovery speed to compensate for sometimes overrunning play in backfield.
- Very fluid athlete with good change-of-direction ability and impressive hips, allowing him to take optimal pursuit angles to ball carrier or QB.
- Solid tackler in space that shows promising wrap-up ability.
- Versatile athlete whose speed should allow him to play 4-3 DE and 3-4 LB in pass-rushing situations.
Weaknesses:
- Limited technical pass-rushing abilities; currently relies almost exclusively on speed, burst, and athleticism to beat blockers.
- Is currently undersized for a defensive end and doesn't have a great frame in which to add weight. Could struggle handling run-stuffing responsibilities if he plays at only 20-25 pounds heavier, but will certainly risk losing some of his burst if he gets up to 250+.
- Could be better suited for 3-4 OLB role in which you have to worry less about stuffing the run and can generally focus more on pass rush and using speed to cover outlet receivers in flats and under-10-yard-box routes.
Player Comparison:
Von Miller (Don't eviscerate me, miketag!)
Outlook for the Horns:
Recruitocosm, in all their futuristic-dystopian-society-controlling brilliance, understands recruitniks eat up percentages like a Soma sandwich with Two Minutes Hate bread. Big Brother gives us a 25% chance at Davis; not bad for attempting to pull a committed recruit out of notoriously shady Louisiana recruiting grounds. Personally, I have a better feeling about Shiro than I do with any other OOS recruit, and though I don't have the sources to back it up, I like our chances to be at least 1/3 with The White Flash. Don't doubt the Messiah, though. He's been spot on lately with The Brenham Duo's Hollywood-worthy recruitment saga and his assurance for months behind Johnathan Gray's silent commitment.
What say you, BONizens? Is he a DE, LB, or hybrid? Does he warrant a Texas offer in the 4-3? Seems like the kind of kid Manny Diaz would salivate at being able to draw up blitz packages for, so I'm sold.