Texas and Stanford standing out to 4-star OT Chad Lindberg

The recruiting process continues to take shape for League City Clear Creek offensive tackle Chad Lindberg, one of the top targets for the Texas Longhorns. Over the weekend, he caught up with SB Nation’s Bud Elliott and Burnt Orange Nation’s Joe Hamilton at the Houston The Opening regional camp to talk about his decision timetable, upcoming visits, and which schools are standing out in his recruitment.

Lindberg recently took visits to Clemson, Georgia, and Georgia Tech, along with a multi-day trip out to Stanford. The trip to Atlanta was a revelation for Lindberg, who added that he’s been to Athens before and likes the Bulldogs. As for the Tigers, Dabo Swinney has filled his nine-man recruiting class with five offensive linemen, so Lindberg isn’t sure if there’s any room left for him.

Of those four schools, Stanford is probably the biggest threat to Texas as a “top three type” in his recruitment. After beating out the Longhorns for Walker Little in the 2017 class and Branson Bragg in the 2018 class, the Cardinal have emerged as a major recruiting foil for head coach Tom Herman’s program. For prospects focused on academics, it’s hard to turn down the prospect of a degree from Stanford.

And so the admissions process often takes center stage in such recruitments. Lindberg hasn’t been accepted yet, but believes that it’s “very likely” thanks to his test scores, GPA, and class rank — other recruits with similar academic profiles received admission into Stanford.

When asked by Elliott which schools are recruiting him the hardest, Lindberg mentioned Texas first, then LSU and Texas A&M. With the Longhorns, the 6’6, 327-pounder is enough of a priority that multiple members of the coaching staff are making an effort to recruit him, not just potential future position coach Herb Hand. Wide receivers coach Corby Meekins, the former Houston Westfield head coach, is also involved, Lindberg told Hamilton, as well as head coach Tom Herman and offensive coordinator Tim Beck.

Lindberg has been to Austin four times, with his last visit coming for the Junior Day in February and his next trip planned for the Orange-White game in April. Along with the Stanford, Texas is the only school that Lindberg has firmly in his top three right now, with schools like LSU and Georgia battling for the other spot.

Not only is Lindberg a talented recruit in his own right, but he’s also connected to one of the biggest narratives in the class — the desire of the nation’s No. 1 running back, Zach Evans, to play with a top-flight offensive line.

“That would be someone I know is committed,” Evans said of Lindberg. “It would be nice to have another hog up there.”

Like Evans, Lindberg is building a relationship with Texas commit Logan Parr, as well as Jake Majors. Together, those recruits comprise two of the three offensive line commits in the 2020 recruiting class for the Longhorns. Lindberg has another tie to the school, too — his older brother is a sophomore at Texas.

Don’t expect Lindberg to release a list of top schools, but he does plan on taking official visits this spring. He knows he wants to visit Texas and Georgia. LSU will “most likely” receive one, with Oklahoma and Texas A&M also in the mix. Since Stanford doesn’t host official visitors until late in the process, he’ll save an official visit for the Cardinal.

Lindberg is targeting a decision by the end of the summer and Texas is in an excellent position — all six 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions favor the Longhorns, including one from Elliott following the Houston The Opening regional last weekend. However, Lindberg did leave open the possibility of extending his recruitment if he hasn’t made up his mind by then.

A consensus four-star prospect, Lindberg is ranked as the No. 59 player nationally, the No. 8 offensive tackle, and the No. 7 player in Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.