Dontre Wilson will take final official visit to Texas

The Texas Longhorns will be hosting a big official visitor next weekend when 2013 DeSoto running back Dontre Wilson, currently an Oregon pledge, is set to visit Austin, according to multiple reports, but first broken by Jason Suchomel of Orangebloods.

When Wilson came back from his official visit to Ohio State over the weekend, his father told 247Sports that his son was 50/50 between the Ducks and the Buckeyes, a pronouncement would seem to be at odds with the 5-11, 175-pound Under Armour All-American taking any more visits.

A trip had originally been planned to Oklahoma State for the final weekend before National Signing Day on Wednesday, with the possibility of Wilson tripping to Austin during the week. But Wilson's father said days ago that neither of those were likely to happen.

Apparently that all changed some time in the last 36 or so hours.

The sell will be a tough one for Major Applewhite, who will have done impressive work if he even gets Wilson to campus.

The potential all-purpose back didn't buy the Longhorns selling him on a DJ Monroe-type of role last spring because Monroe had never gotten the ball. Fast forward to the present day and Monroe and Daje Johnson still didn't get as many touches as many wanted during the season.

However, there are four significant reasons that could convince Wilson to pull off a shocker and commit to Texas.

The first is proximity -- if he decides that he wants to stay close to home, the 'Horns are the easy choice. In fact, Wilson apparently has a checklist that he's going through. If proximity is one of those, that could help explain why his Texas visit was a possibility, and then seemingly off, and then seemingly on again.

Secondly, Applewhite did show more of an effort to get Monroe, Johnson, and even Goodwin the ball in the Alamo Bowl. He's got a fresh slate, even if former co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin never came through with what he promised Wilson last spring.

Perhaps just as important, Texas showed that they are now willing to speed up the tempo to run more plays and tire out defenses, a buzz that has continued into the offseason. If Texas is going to start looking more and more like Oregon, it would only stand to reason that would help the 'Horns. More plays equals more touches for guys like Johnson and Wilson.

The most important point is the final one -- Texas can now sell Wilson as being the lone running back take in the class. When Kyle Hicks was committed, Wilson was told that he would be an all-purpose back, while Oregon was giving him the opportunity to prove people wrong about being a load back and saying he could be the next LaMichael James. The DeSoto star doesn't have ideal size for the position, but Texas badly needs running back depth now in a way they didn't last spring when Hicks was still pledged to the 'Horns.

Does Texas have a legitimate chance of flipping Wilson?

Well, stranger things have happened.

Texas did manage to flip Shiro Davis last year, even after reports that the 'Horns had stopped recruiting him.

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