4-star OT JP Urquidez commits to Baylor over Texas, others

The Texas Longhorns missed out on another in-state offensive tackle prospect on Monday morning when Copperas Cove offensive tackle JP Urquidez committed to the Baylor Bears in a ceremony at his high school.

Urquidez chose the Bears over his other finalists Texas, Miami, and Oklahoma, becoming the third 2016 Texas tackle with an offer from the Longhorns to pledge to another school, joining Texas A&M commit Greg Little and Baylor commit Patrick Hudson.

All the momentum was with the Bears in recent months in his 247Sports Crystal Ball, as the Longhorns hadn't picked up a single prediction since last July, even though Urquidez told SB Nation Recruiting in March that he considered committing to Texas on his late-February visit for a Junior Day, in part because he grew up a Horns fan in a family of Horns fans.

"It was a good experience," he said of his visit. "It was real cool. I got to see the program, got to talk to coach (Charlie) Strong more and get my relationship with him better, which is a good experience."

However, the atmosphere at Baylor was too much for Texas to overcome.

"I just really like it there," he said. "The coaches treat me real well. I feel like I'm family already. The coaches talk to me like I already play there, and really just how comfortable I am there. I've been there a lot."

The last visit for Urquidez was to Waco in late March and that may have been enough to all but officially end his recruitment, as he hadn't set a commitment date as recently as a month ago.

A consensus four-star prospect, Urquidez is the No. 227 prospect, the No. 20 offensive tackle, and the No. 33 player in Texas and held 26 total offers at the time of his pledge.

With Urquidez off the board, Texas and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Wickline will continue pursuing other in-state tackle options North Mesquite's Jean Delance, the former Oklahoma pledge, and Byron Nelson Trophy Club's Kellen Diesch.