3-star DT Kristopher Ross commits to Texas

The Texas Longhorns have landed a commitment from three-star Galena Park North Shore defensive tackle Kristopher Ross over LSU, Oklahoma, and USC on Tuesday.

Ross is the 35th-ranked defensive tackle prospect in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings and is the 430th-ranked prospect overall.

As the seventh commitment of the 2022 recruiting class for the Longhorns, the addition of Ross means Texas holds steady as the No. 8-ranked recruiting class nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings.

Texas has had a rough go when it comes to landing prospects out of the Houston-area powerhouse North Shore, but new Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian’s staff was able to get themselves on the board early this cycle with Ross as they continue to chase his teammate, five-star cornerback Denver Harris.

Ross is the first commitment for Texas along the defensive front in a class in which the Longhorns need to load up on guys that can put pressure on quarterbacks — on Monday, Sarkisian mentioned the need to add more bodies along the offensive line and the defensive line through recruiting.

Securing a commitment from Ross is a good way to set the floor for this portion of the class and a nice recruiting win for both Sarkisian and position coach Bo Davis with USC trying to make a push over the past month. The Trojans staff, of course, features former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and former Director of Recruiting Bryan Carrington, who is from the Houston area.

Commitment Analysis:

Ross is stoutly-built interior defensive lineman that already possesses good size and a nice frame at 6’3, 280 pounds. Ross already flashes good functional strength and shows he can consistently reset the LOS by bench pressing offensive linemen into the backfield both against the run and the pass.

Ross is a bit of a one-trick pony as a pass rusher, but his one trick as a bull rusher is effective due to his ability to generate power in his hands and his lower half. Ross does flash an arm over move on tape, but I need to see it deployed more often and for him to diversify a bit.

Ross is particularly good against the run already mainly due to his ability to hold his own at the LOS due to his power. Solo blocking him looks to be a fool’s errand because he can bully his way into the backfield. He is going to be a player that is going to make his living commanding double teams along the interior that should free up his teammates to make plays.

If Ross can continue to grow as a pass rusher, he has a real chance to be a nice building block piece for a defense at the next level.