Consensus four-star tight end and former Texas Longhorns pledge Major Tennison announced on Twitter Sunday night that he has committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide following an official visit.
I'm very excited to announce I have committed to the University of Alabama, God bless and Roll Tide! pic.twitter.com/URVsfwniFa
— Major Tennison (@major_tennison) October 24, 2016
The 2017 recruit from Bullard, Texas was one of the Longhorns’ top pledges when he committed to Strong’s team in October 2015. However, he reopened his commitment following a visit to Alabama in July.
Tennison was still considering the Longhorns after his decommitment, as he told Inside Texas’ Justin Wells, “I still have hope about going to Texas, but I'm also blessed with great options if I don't."
The hesitation about Texas on the part of Tennison stemmed from the fact that Sterlin Gilbert’s offense scarcely utilizes tight ends as pass catchers. In fact, Texas has only had one catch by a tight end all year — a 37-yard touchdown by Andrew Beck.
Though Texas can survive being thin at the tight end position under Gilbert, if he leaves with Charlie Strong at the end of the season, the new potential offensive coordinator could be in trouble without a dual-threat tight end on the roster.
Tennison is ranked as the No. 11 tight end in his class and the No. 339 player overall, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Longhorns’ once promising 2017 class has lost some momentum recently. In addition to losing Tennison for good, Under Armour All-American offensive lineman Xavier Newman flipped from Texas to Colorado last week. The group now stands at seven commits.