Austin Westlake IOL Connor Robertson commits to the Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns were looking for some help in the trenches and the first bit of help arrived as Westlake lineman Connor Robertson made his pledge to Texas and coach Kyle Flood.

The race for the services of the 6’4, 296-pound lineman was considered to be a two-school race, with the Longhorns squaring off against the Stanford Cardinal. However, Robertson only made one visit during the June frenzy — the short trip to the Forty Acres. He holds 31 offers heading into a senior year that may see his stock rise as the 2020 football season progresses and Westlake looks to make another deep playoff run.

Robertson, the No. 20 interior offensive lineman and the No. 77 player in the state of Texas, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, combines with fellow Friday pledge Colt Hutson to serve as the first offensive line commitments at a position of deep need. After struggling in the 2021 cycle, Texas needs to find help in the trenches, which Robertson represents.

With the new addition, the Longhorns now have 14 committed in the 2022 class, boasting the No. 6 class nationally and the top group in the Big 12, according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings. Robertson represents the sixth offensive player in the recruiting class, a number that could grow rapidly by the end of June.

The Evaluation (by Daniel Seahorn):

Connor Robertson is my kind of football player. He is the kind of player that will have the offensive line coach grinning and giggling as they sift through game tape. Robertson logs snaps at tackle on tape for Westlake, but his physical measurables are going to kick him inside long term at the collegiate level. Robertson showed me a little bit of everything on tape and was encouraging to see for his long-term outlook. He comes off the ball with a low hat and a bad attitude and shows his aggressive nature early and often on his film. No matter what you ask him to do, he is bringing his hard hat and lunch pail to the fight and looking for some work and it warms the cockles of my old offensive lineman heart. The first clip of his junior tape shows him absolutely obliterating a poor defender on a pull and that set the tone for the rest of the watch. Robertson possesses a nasty disposition on the football field and consistently shows good play strength and power and his hands. Whether he is manned up in a solo block or collaborating in a combination block, Robertson shows he can displace his man from the LOS and is often dumping them to the turf for good measure. Robertson does not face the stiffest of competition in pass protection, but I like that he shows good patience and footwork against the speed rushes, and he shows the ability to ‘sit down’ on power rushes and does not allow himself to be thrown off balance. The latter is going to come into play a lot at the next level once he moves closer to the ball on the interior and the defenders get heavier and wider. I will always say this when it comes to evaluating offensive line prospects. If you find yourself battling with schools like Stanford and Northwestern for a kid, then you are probably doing something right because those programs do a hell of a job evaluating and developing the position. On top of that it means the kid is smart and that obviously bolsters his ceiling even more as a player. I like Robertson a good bit and he has been one of the more fun watches for me to date. I think he is a high floor prospect with a chance to be a guy that logs a lot of starts at the next level if he continues to develop at a good clip.