Patience in the recruiting process paid off for the Texas Longhorns with a fourth pledge in less than two weeks, as Temple wide receiver Davion Curtis flipped his pledge from the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday evening:
— Davion Curtis (@curtis_davion) November 19, 2015
Great news for Longhorn Nation! #LetsRide
— Charlie Strong (@Strong_TexasFB) November 20, 2015
Interestingly enough, Curtis is the second commit during that stretch who wasn't publicly known to hold a Texas offer prior to the decision to pledge to the Horns. He pledged to Georgia on August 3, but had camped in Austin during the summer while he waited for the offer from his dream school.
"I wanted to be a Longhorn for as far back as I can remember," Curtis told Horns247. "I always dreamed of it when I played Pop Warner. My family loves Texas, so I loved Texas growing up. Making the commitment means so much to me and my family."
The 5'11, 180-pounder is a consensus three-star prospect ranked as the No. 884 recruit nationally, the No. 128 wide receiver, and the No. 113 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. In addition to the offer from Georgia, Colorado State, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, Minnesota, North Texas, Oregon State, SMU, Texas Tech, Toledo, and Wisconsin have all officially entered his recruitment.
Curtis had a breakout season as a junior in 2014 with 40 receptions for 901 yards and eight touchdowns. As a senior, he's continued to solidify his reputation as a vertical threat, showing off his ability to deep open deep on go routes and post routes by consistently separating from high school defensive backs who don't have the speed to slow him down.
Seeing a more developed ability to run precise routes like out cuts or in cuts would be an ideal addition to his senior film, but there's no question that Curtis is a game-changing player at the high school level when asked to go long, in large part due to his 10.72 100m speed. He also participates on the Temple 4x100 and 4x200 relay teams. And in the end, it's hard to blame an offense for showcasing the ability that makes Curtis so special.
The Longhorns now hold three commitments from wide receivers in the 2016 cycle, including early enrollee Collin Johnson and Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, and 12 pledges overall. With the recent additions, Texas is up to No. 54 nationally and No. 5 in the Big 12 in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.
The decision by Curtis could provide a further boost, as the Temple pass catcher is close friends with Beaumont Central running back Devwah Whaley, the state's top prospect at the position. Weeks ago, he looked like a strong bet to join Curtis in Athens, but his friend's dream school eventually won out and now the Longhorns have some serious momentum heading into Whaley's December 12 official visit.