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A third former Houston Cougars commit is now a member of the 2017 Texas Longhorns recruiting class, as Humble Atascocita offensive tackle Samuel Cosmi pledged to head coach Tom Herman and his staff for a second time on Monday:
I am so excited and proud to say I will be a longhorn!!!
— SamuelCosmi (@SamCosmi) January 30, 2017
God is so good❗️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/yWAvAl4U8T
Offensive line coach Derek Warehime first broke the news on Twitter:
Big time ball player just joined the Longhorn Family! Excited to get this #H-Town product on board! #HookEm #OLP pic.twitter.com/9buxP40NV7
— Derek Warehime (@CoachDWarehime) January 30, 2017
The 6’5, 260-pounder originally committed to Houston last June, then stayed pledged until flipping to Texas. The ‘Horns offered last week, along with the rival Horned Frogs, before hosting Cosmi on an official visit over the weekend.
And even though he didn’t make up his mind while in Austin, which had seemed like a possibility while on the Forty Acres, it didn’t take Cosmi long after returning to the Houston area to make up his mind.
A consensus three-star prospect, Cosmi is ranked as the No. 1,107 prospect nationally, the No. 105 offensive tackle, and the No. 148 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
As a prospect, Cosmi is something of a blank slate in that he’s extremely lean — much like current star left tackle Connor Williams was out of high school — and will likely need several years to add the strength and mass that he’ll need to compete at the college level. If he is as heavy as the 278 pounds listed on his Hudl page, that could reduce the amount of time he’ll need in the weight room.
However, he is intriguing as a prospect for that reason, as he’s athletic and moves extremely well and the strength and conditioning staff can mold him in Warehime’s vision. The quality of Cosmi’s feet and movement abilities should also help ensure that he’s a pure tackle and not someone who has to eventually move inside due to mobility issues in pass protection.
The second offensive lineman taken in the class, Cosmi had been one of two offensive tackle targets still on the board, including former Westlake standout Stephan Zabie, who will announce his decision in an ESPNU commitment ceremony early on National Signing Day.
Cosmi is the 16th pledge in the 2017 Longhorns recruiting class, which now ranks No. 25 nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12 in the 247Sports Composite rankings.