[Update]: Here's the pertinent information from this evening's OB update:
Per OB, Luke doesn't have immediate timetable, but has Texas in top group of 7.Will he attend a summer camp or wait for OV to visit again?
— Wescott Eberts (@SBN_Wescott) May 9, 2012
--Wescott
A trip to Austin for the Orange-White game failed to yield a Texas offer for Chandler (AZ) Hamilton cornerback Cole Luke, but the wait for offer ended on Tuesday night when Luke confirmed it via his Twitter feed:
Got that Texas offer. Finally! #hardworkpaidoff
— Cole Luke (@coleluke11) May 9, 2012
It's reading a little bit into Luke's tweet, but the sense here is that there was a tangible sign of relief Luke felt at receiving his offer that could have mirrored the feelings of Bastrop cornerback Antwuan Davis and Sugarland Dulles defensive back Maurice Smith when they received their own offers following that spring game attended by Luke.
The 6-0, 165-pound Luke is a consensus four-star prospect and sixth-ranked cornerback nationally by 247Sports who already held offers from 15 schools before the addition of Texas, including Arkansas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Washington.
Texas has now offered two defensive backs in the last several days, as Livingston athlete Chevoski Collins received his late last week. Increasing the level of pressure on Collins and the other player with an in-state offer, Sugarland Dulles defensive back Maurice Smith, is a possible intent of the Texas staff with this offer, as Collins has made it known in recent days that the 'Horns only plan on taking one more in-state defensive back. Will the lack of a firm timetable ($) for Collins change with the offer to Luke?
The guess is that Luke falls into that "in-state" category of being in the mix for that one committable spot, despite being from Arizona and that fact that he was thought to be the top cornerback on the Texas board as recently as about a month ago, as the offer and commitment from Antwuan Davis seemingly disproved that theory.
As for Georgia safety Vonn Bell and Florida safety Marcell Harris, it's possible that they could still have committable offers even if Texas lands one of Collins, Smith, or Luke.
Ultimately, though, the timing and overall numbers in a class with limited scholarships could factor in that equation. Moving parts are seemingly added by the day.
Here's the basic scouting report on Luke:
In pads, Luke has the leaping ability and ball skills to translate his awareness and instincts into interceptions. He high-points the football like someone who has played receiver before. Like fellow Texas target Vonn Bell, the Goergia safety, Luke can turn those interceptions and other turnovers into touchdowns with some dynamic ability with the ball in his hands.
Fluid, with ideal reactive quickness and body control, Luke basically has all the attributes of one of the top cornerbacks in the country, including the willingness to defend the running game with physicality belied by his 165 pounds -- like a taller Carrington Byndom.
He has better size than Bastrop's Antwuan Davis, even though his top-end speed may not be better than the Austin-area track star, and he's faster and a better pure cornerback prospect than Sugarland Dulles' Maurice Smith, though Smith's resume of national interest and offers is rapidly approaching that of Luke.
Since that was written, Smith's stock has surpassed that of Luke in terms of national interest, but Luke remains the better cornerback prospect despite Smith performing well at combines in coverage.