4-star SF Gerald Liddell inks NLI with Texas

The headliner of Shaka Smart's 2018 class is officially a Texas Longhorn, as Cibolo Steele small forward Gerald Liddell signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday.

A four-star wing from the San Antonio-area, Liddell had long been on the Longhorns radar as a priority prospect, and understandably so as one of the best the state has to offer. The 6’6, 180-pound slasher committed to Texas on Aug. 10, siding with Smart and the ‘Horns over a top seven that included Baylor, Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, SMU, California.

Kansas, Oklahoma State, Florida State and TCU are among the others that were in pursuit of Liddell’s services, as well.

A versatile prospect who can play and guard multiple positions, Liddell is at his best when attacking the rim as a slasher. He displays a nice shooting form and gives Smart and his staff plenty to work with, although he still needed to takes steps towards becoming a consistent and willing shooter.

In short, although Liddell isn’t exactly elite in any particular category, he’s a high-level athlete and jack of all trades type of talent who should be on the Forty Acres for the next few seasons.

Such versatility was on display throughout Liddell’s junior season, as he averaged 19.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

In a state that’s often rich with talent, Liddell is ranked No. 2 in Texas, as well as the nation’s No. 9 small forward, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. His No. 40 national ranking makes Liddell the top-ranked recruit currently on board as part of Smart’s 2018 class.