Talented in-state CB Jahari Rogers commits to Florida over Texas

On Monday evening, one of the nation’s more gifted athletes decided to put an end to his recruitment.

Arlington cornerback Jahari Rogers knew that it was time to make a decision weeks ago, and the Texas Longhorns were right there in the mix of things, but it’s the Florida Gators that ultimately landed the in-state prospect.

Originally, Rogers planned on announcing his decision at The Opening on July 4, but with a series of commitments already planned, the Arlington standout decided to push back his decision and here we are today. In the end, it came down to the Longhorns and the Gators, and both schools did receive an official visit this offseason.

“Yeah, I’ve messed with both of them, really,” Rogers said about the two schools.

The versatile playmaker did begin to witness a trend in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with commitments from Duncanville quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson in early June, 2021 Dallas Skyline wide receiver Quay Davis, and a recent pledge from Highland Park outside linebacker Prince Dorbah. Rogers was well aware of the Dallas-to-Austin movement and gave an indication earlier this month that he might’ve had plans outside of following the latest pledges.

“The Dallas-to-Austin thing is pretty cool,” Rogers told BON a few weeks ago. “I know a lot of people who ride the wave, like I said, but we’ll see where people really wind up at the end of the day.”

After missing out on Rogers, the Longhorns will continue to primarily focus on key cornerback targets like the nation’s top corner Kelee Ringo, four-star Winter Park (Fla.) prospect Ethan Pouncey, and four-star in-state standout Joshua Eaton. Tom Herman and company will most likely look to add another cornerback to this year’s recruiting class after already landing John Tyler athlete Kitan Crawford, who is slated to be a contributor in the secondary at the next level.