clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Texas LB target Darrin Kirkland Jr to announce on Monday

It appears that the recent official visit significantly helped the Longhorns.

By Wescott Eberts
From left to right: Darrin Kirkland Jr, Ryan Newsome, Malik Jefferson
From left to right: Darrin Kirkland Jr, Ryan Newsome, Malik Jefferson
via @NewBoi17

The Texas Longhorns could add an important linebacker target in the coming days when Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence Central's Darrin Kirkland Jr makes his announcement:

Along with five-star linebacker Malik Jefferson and four-star wide receiver Ryan Newsome, Kirkland Jr was one of the key visitors on campus last weekend:

The fact that Kirkland moved up his announcement from the US Army All-American Bowl would seem to bode well for the Longhorns, especially after head coach Charlie Strong held his in-home visit with Kirkland Jr and his parents on Tuesday.

He's also said to have a good relationship with the charismatic Newsome, who was on an official visit with the big linebacker to Oklahoma for the loss against Baylor in early November.

And even though Texas didn't offer Kirkland Jr until last April, Strong and his staff were one of the first schools to recruit him, offering the 6'2, 235-pounder in June of 2013 and then hosting him on a visit not long after -- there are some deep ties there between the Indiana product and the current Longhorns staff.

There have been some major swings in his recruitment in the last few weeks. Kirkland Jr decommitted from Michigan in early November, just after taking an official visit to Ole Miss that sparked a major trend for the Rebels in his 247Sports Crystal Ball. Then an official visit to Tennessee, one of the early favorites for his services, sparked a swing for the Volunteers in his Crystal Ball.

But only one of those predictions has come since his official visit to Texas. There may even be some switches before the announcement on Monday.

If he's looking for early playing time, it will definitely be there since Steve Edmond is graduating and junior Dalton Santos has played poorly. With much more prototypical size than likely Texas pledge Cecil Cherry, Kirkland is likely a better bet to contribute early, too.

A few weeks ago, Texas was an extreme longshot to land the nation's No. 4 inside linebacker.

Now, it looks like there could be another big #LetsRide on Monday afternoon.

More From Burnt Orange Nation