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Once again, the Texas Longhorns are battling it out with the Texas A&M Aggies for an important recruit, this time North Mesquite offensive tackle Jean Delance, who told 247Sports that he's leaning towards staying in state and has those two schools out front.
With eight of 11 tackles offered by the Horns already committed and Texas on the outside looking in with elite left tackle Greg Little of Allen and in a similar position with New Orleans (La.) John Curtis star Willie Allen, it's basically Delance or bust right now at a need position.
A former Oklahoma commit, Delance is a consensus four-star recruit ranked as the No. 111 prospect overall, the No. 11 offensive tackle, and the No. 12 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He holds 26 offers, but trimmed his list to five in late July, with Alabama, MIchigan, and Ohio State making up the other three schools. Official visits are already set for a trip to Ann Arbor in late November and another to Tuscaloosa two weeks later.
The Horns are getting some recruiting help from several places -- freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson hails from Mesquite just like Delance and has been building a relationship with the 6'5, 291-pounder.
"Me and Malik are really good friends," Delance told 247Sports. "He's just been telling me that he loves Texas and that it feels like home. He keeps telling me to go hang out with him and check out how the coaches run things."
Offensive guard commit Tope Imade isn't from Mesquite, but the Arlington Bowie product has also been active in recruiting Delance to Texas.
Is it working? The 247Sports Crystal Ball believes so, as the last five predictions have come in for the Horns, including two from the 247Sports A&M writers:
The next step is to secure that official visit with Delance and get him on campus again for the first time since the middle of June. If things continue progressing positively for the Horns, the athletic prospect could combine with freshman Connor Williams as a formidable tackle duo in Austin.