Rising DE Charles Omenihu commits to the Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns added another new prospect to the 2015 class on Monday with the commitment of Rowlett defensive end Charles Omenihu, who announced his decision via Twitter:

I am blessed to say for the next four to five years I will be taking my talents and committing to The University Of Texas!!!! #HOOKEM

— Charles (@charless_94) February 24, 2014

The commitment prompted a tweet of acknowledgement from new head coach Charlie Strong:

Another big day in Austin. Continuing to put The T Back In Texas! #letsride

— Charlie Strong (@Strong_TexasFB) February 24, 2014

The consensus three-star prospect decided to end his recruitment two days after receiving his offer from Texas. The 6'5, 220-pound defensive end is rated as the No. 38 weak side defensive end nationally, the No. 114 player in the state of Texas, and the No. 827 prospect in the country. He also held offers from Louisiana Tech, Northwestern, and Tulsa, along with interest from Baylor, Michigan, and Oklahoma.

A high-upside recruit who has a chance to raise his stock with a strong senior season, Omenihu has a long, lean frame that could eventually hold up to 260 pounds once he gets into the Texas strength and conditioning program with Pat Moorer.

Quick off the ball, Omenihu is at his best against the run game at this point, where his long arms and motor allow him to hit and control opposing offensive linemen and his ability to re-direct lets him find opposing ball carriers in the offensive backfield.

The long arms of Omenihu give him a wide tackling radius and his ability to get low and then move laterally helps in that regard as well. In fact, his ability to understand leverage by forcing running backs inside and then slide to make plays is probably his best attribute as a player.

As a pass rusher, there's not a lot on film and he has a ways to go to become an impact player in that regard, both in terms of honing his explosion off the ball to turn the corner against offensive tackles and in terms of developing a pass-rushing arsenal. Eventually, the long arm move that Alex Okafor and Cedric Reed have used well in the last several seasons could become a go-to for him as he adds strength.

Now the eighth commitment in the 2015 class for the Horns, Omenihu is the first defensive end at a position. And though Omenihu is rated at 86 by 247Sports (a mid three-star grade), his value is higher to the class because of the lack of elite defensive ends in the state.

The group ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12 behind West Virginia in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.