5-star RB Soso Jamabo will take official visit to Texas

Add another big name to the list of official visitors for the Texas Longhorns on January 23, as consensus five-star running back Soso Jamabo will be on campus that weekend, according to multiple reports, including this one from Orangebloods.

The news comes as something of a surprise, as there had not been any major developments with Jamabo since the 6'2.5, 210-pounder surfaced back on the recruiting radar in late November for the first time since head coach Charlie Strong and his staff arrived in Austin.

Regardless of whether or not the commitment of Irving Cistercian quarterback Matthew Merrick played a role in the staff picking up contact with the productive Plano West rusher, Merrick's relationship with Jamabo from AAU basketball probably helped ensure the official visit, as Merrick tweeted out his intentions to trip to Austin with Jamabo after he pledged to the Longhorns.

And sure enough, Merrick will take his official visit to Austin on January 23 as well, according to the quarterback's 247Sports profile.

Texas remains in pursuit of several running backs as the 2015 recruiting cycle comes to a close. LSU commit Nick Brossette will be on campus this weekend and Chris Warren remains a prospect widely considered a lean to the Longhorns.

At this point, it's first-come, first-serve at the running back position and Warren could get left out since he's set to make his decision on National Signing Day.

UCLA remains the favorite at 39% in his 247Sports Crystal Ball, with 22 out of the last 23 predictions coming in for the Bruins. A look at the graph of the movement in it over time illustrates the fact that Jamabo was once considered a lean to the Longhorns under the previous regime.

The question is whether one late visit will make up for the lack of contact between Texas and Jamabo, especially since there's also some competition from Texas A&M, as the Aggies will receive Jamabo's third official visit this weekend when he travels to Aggieland.

That would leave one last official visit and one last visit weekend for Jamabo, but it's not clear at this time whether there is another serious contender for his services as Notre Dame has apparently fallen behind in the race for the services of the nation's No. 27 player.