A huge summer in recruiting continued with another big addition for the Texas Longhorns on Monday, as head coach Tom Herman earned a commitment from Houston Westfield defensive tackle Keondre Coburn:
#revolution18 pic.twitter.com/wyrwyj9psl
— Keondre Coburn⁹⁹ (@slowburn99) August 7, 2017
And while the decision by Coburn to pledge to the ‘Horns was not particularly surprising, the timing of his choice did come without any prior warning — the 6’1, 329-pounder had never set a specific date to make his choice of schools.
The big defensive tackle committed to Texas over offers from schools like Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCLA, Washington, and Wisconsin, among others.
Early in the recruiting process, the Aggies were thought to be the favorite, with the Horned Frogs then surging during the spring of this year. A visit to see the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in late July loomed as a potential concern for the ‘Horns, but ultimately didn’t have a large impact on Coburn’s recruitment.
By the time Coburn made his decision, all 11 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were in favor of Texas, in no small part because of staff connections to Westfield — tight ends coach Corby Meekins was the head coach there before joining Herman at Houston, and his younger brother, Matt, now occupies that role.
As a result, Coburn was a player that Meekins and defensive line coach Oscar Giles needed to land as the nose tackle take in the 2018 recruiting class. Coburn is also the No. 1-ranked defensive tackle in the class, further adding to his value.
The consensus four-star prospect is ranked as the No. 103 player nationally, the No. 8 defensive tackle, and the No. 13 player in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The commitment from the Westfield product continues momentum for the Longhorns in the Houston area and gives Herman from seven of the state’s top 13 players. Overall, the class now features 16 pledges and ranks No. 3 nationally in the Composite team rankings and No. 1 in the Big 12.