Rising OT Isaiah Hookfin is eyeing a return trip to Texas before his decision

With only two offensive line commits in this year’s recruiting class thus far with four-star Conroe Oak Ridge standout Tyler Johnson and four-star Houston North Forest steamroller Javonne Shepherd, the Texas Longhorns are aiming to add another piece or two in that department.

One of the potential pieces that the Longhorns have evaluated and offered within the last month is Isaiah Hookfin.

The Fort Bend Dulles offensive tackle is a player that fell under the radar for most of his high school career. It wasn’t until late April when Hookfin finally earned his first official offer. Since then, he’s tallied up a total of 21 total offers from schools like Arizona State, Auburn, Duke, Houston, Mississippi State, and Texas Tech.

Hookfin received a ton of neglect from coaches on the recruiting trail early on, as many knocked him for what he lacked in size. Injuries cost him several seasons of high school football. It’s now a different story regarding the three-star prospect, as he’s healthy and recognized as a big, athletic prospect with tremendous upside.

When asked how does it feel to start receiving attention from top programs on the recruiting trail, Hookfin told BON, “It feels great, because it went from ‘you’re not big enough to play tackle’ to ‘how would you like to play.’”

The Longhorns have been in talks with Hookfin over the past couple of months, but a little over three weeks ago Tom Herman put an offer on the table for the rising offensive tackle during an unofficial visit. Texas is making a huge impact on Hookfin’s recruitment right now.

“Texas stands very high on my list,” Hookfin said.

The type of backing that UT provides its student athletes, the fanbase, and the legacy they hold are a few facets that standout about Texas, Hookfin said.

Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Herb Hand has made great impressions on some talented recruits since joining the Texas program. As far as Hand and Hookfin’s relationship goes, it’s still developing, but it’s something that Hookfin looks to build on over the next month.

“I have a very young relationship with Coach Hand — it’s not fully developed yet,” Hookfin said.

Playing offensive tackle is still fresh to Hookfin, but he still possesses natural characteristics that he’ll use to thrive at the position in college. His knowledge, overall size, and agility will only continue to improve as he transitions to the next level.

“I’m a fairly new player still learning the ways,” Hookfin said. “I feel like I can bring a lot of adaptation as far as learning from the coaches and other linemen on how to really survive and dominate.”

After his final high school game, Hookfin made an announcement on Twitter last week that he would be closing his recruitment. Plenty of people thought that a commitment would be coming abruptly from Hookfin, but he just simply wanted to put a statement out saying that he’d be focusing on his recruitment as he starts to weave schools out.

“I’m still waiting until the middle of December to sign,” Hookfin said. “I just closed my recruitment to really start to narrow things down.”

Hookfin last visited the Forty Acres earlier this month when the Longhorns faced off against West Virginia. He had a great time in-large part due to conversing with the coaches and receiving an offer face to face. Hookfin plans on making another trip to Austin on Dec. 14 and wants to make a decision in mid-December. The Longhorns are in a terrific spot with Hookfin.

At 6’5, 270 pounds, Hookfin is ranked as the nation’s No. 446 player, the No. 35 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 52 player in Texas, per the 247Sports Composite.