On Tuesday evening, Texas Longhorns defensive line coach Chris Rumph extended an offer to Woodbridge (Va.) CD Hylton offensive tackle Matthew Burrell.
The consensus four-star prospect is ranked as the No. 8 offensive tackle nationally, the No. 4 player in the state of Virginia, and the No. 82 recruit nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings. Holding more than 30 offers from programs around the country, Burrell is one of the most highly-recruited tackles in the nation. Schools like Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and South Carolina have all offered, among many others.
At just under 6'6 and 290 pounds, Burrell has the size to remain at tackle in college and enough mass that adding weight to contribute won't be a concern, though he does need to add some strength in his upper body.
Functionally, lacking that strength doesn't impact him particularly at the high school level, as Burrell benefits from a strong base that allows him to dominate in the running game, as he's capable of collapsing an entire side of the line with his leg drive.
In pass protection he shoots his hands with some clear technique and kick steps easily and on balance. Some flashes of serious quickness there suggest that he could perhaps play left tackle in college, even if he looks more like a right tackle physically, as he can mirror opponents with his quick feet.
His high school also uses him some in the screen game, where Burrell moves well enough to get outside and effectively engage defenders in space.
So where do the Horns stand in his recruitment, even though it is quite advanced at this point with so much interest around the country? It may be the state of Virginia recruiting coverage, but Burrell only has a few entries in his 247Sports Crystal Ball projections, with four predictions there split between Florida and Alabama.
After Texas offered Burrell, Horns247 analyst Colt Barber put in his prediction for the Horns.
In other words, regional ties in ACC country don't seem strong enough to pull Burrell in that direction and his recruitment is wide open enough that there isn't a clear industry consensus about where he's headed.
With area recruiter Rumph perhaps the most charismatic coach on the staff and offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Joe Wickline's reputation developing talent, Texas would seem to stand a solid shot of getting Burrell on campus at some point this spring or summer, at which point the Horns could seriously enter his recruitment as a contender for his services.