There may not have been much drama surrounding the news Sunday evening that Van linebacker Dalton Santos switched his verbal commitment from Tennessee to Texas following an official visit over the weekend, as Santos seemed like a virtual lock to become a Longhorn ever since receiving his offer recently.
Coming from a family of Texas fans and growing up one himself, the decision was probably not a particularly difficult one for Santos, with the exception of needing to notify the Tennessee coaches of the switch. After Vol defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox left the program, the decision was probably even easier.
Santos is ranked as the top linebacker in the country by ESPN and is known as a tough player and hard hitter in the middle, where he uses his 6-2, 240-pound frame to inflict pain on opponents. The 26th commitment in the 2012 class, the major question mark with Santos is whether he can be a three-down linebacker in college due to his size and a lack of elite speed for the position. And though he's not exactly stiff, Santos has indicated that he wants to improve his flexibility.
Santos is the fourth linebacker commit in the class and joins Pflugerville Hendrickson athlete Daje Johnson as weekend pledges for the 'Horns.