4-star IOL Cole Hutson commits to Texas

The Texas Longhorns needed to land talent in the trenches in this class and did just that as four-star lineman Cole Hutson made his commitment and joined the 2022 class.

Hutson not only fills a significant need for Texas, but represents a big win over some of the toughest recruiting competition in the country. During the June flurry, he visited the Oklahoma Sooners, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Texas A&M Aggies on an official basis — in addition to his two visits in Austin. Hutson was on the Forty Acres for his official visit on June 11, but made his way down from Frisco for the Austin Regional and spent time with the coaching staff as he watched his father’s alma mater, the Arizona State Sun Devils, play baseball.

The 6’5, 312-pound lineman from Frisco joins the class at the No. 331 player overall, the No. 13 interior offensive lineman and the No. 49 player in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He shows some positional versatility along the interior, but likely slots in at guard for the Longhorns.

With the struggles Texas faced recruiting under Herb Hand, a player like Hutson is a must-have for Kyle Flood in his first year coaching the offensive line at Texas. It also serves as proof of this staff’s ability to build momentum in the class and stand toe-to-toe with the elite offensive line recruiters in Norman and College Station.

After not having a single offensive lineman in the class, Hutson becomes the second lineman to join the class in as many days. His commitment gives Texas 14 commitments overall, moving them to the No. 6 class in the country and extending Texas’ lead in the Big 12 rankings.

Evaluation (by Daniel Seahorn):

If your motto is “pound that rock” then you would really enjoy watching Cole Hutson’s tape on repeat. It is a sign of trust and respect when your offensive coordinator calls a play that allows you to pave the way as an offensive lineman, and for Hutson that happens A LOT. Hutson does good job of coming off the ball with a low hat and shows good functional strength with his ability to drive block defenders and displace them from the LOS. Hutson shows a knack for playing with good leverage — with him projecting to the interior at the next level, that is imperative. Hutson moves well and shows off good athleticism, as he is often required to be a space blocker as a puller. He consistently shows the ability to track his assignment and arrive under control to execute his blocks. If you have read any of my previous evals on offensive lineman then you know I am a sucker for a guy who knows how to finish his blocks and Hutson has that in spades. He is consistently looking for work and when he locks on with a defender, he is not just looking to block them — he is looking to dominate them. When you have to line up across from a guy like Hutson for 50-60 snaps and they are running the ball as much as they are on tape, then it can quickly become demoralizing. With the emphasis on running the football, that obviously leaves a smaller sample size for watching Hutson in pass protection on tape, so that is something I would keep an eye on development-wise for his senior season. Hutson certainly has the skill set and physical tools to hold up well in pass pro, but I would like to see more of it on tape to have a better comfort level with projecting it for him.