4-star OT Jaylen Garth announces commitment to Texas

For the second time in as many days, the Texas Longhorns’ 2020 class has added another major pledge.

Less than 24 hours after Saint Louis (Mo.) Trinity Catholic athlete Mookie Cooper announced that he’s taking his talents to Texas, Port Neches-Groves offensive tackle Jaylen Garth has elected to do the same, announcing his commitment to the Longhorns on Twitter.

A four-star talent and the teammate of Texas’ early enrollee quarterback Roschon Johnson, Garth was recently among the masses in Austin on Jan. 19 for the Longhorns first major recruiting weekend of the year.

“The visit was great,” Garth recently told BON of his latest visit with the Longhorns. “When I go there I talk to every coach, it’s not just the offensive staff, that’s what’s so great about it. Also, hanging out with the other recruits. It was definitely pretty fun.”

The trip to Texas was just hit latest of many, as the 6’5, 285-pound prospect has been a mainstay on the Forty Acres dating back to last summer, with visits also coming last season for the Longhorns wins over TCU and Baylor.

Unsurprisingly, considering his key tie to Texas in the form of his former high school teammate and his frequent presence on the Forty Acres, Garth’s Crystal Ball has long projected Texas as the consensus pick, despite offers stemming from the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas A&M, among others. Garth holds 15 offers in total.

Alabama and Texas A&M were believed to be Texas’ biggest competition.

A key reason why Texas finished atop his recruitment, as opposed to various prominent SEC recruiting powers? As Garth detailed to BON weeks ago, the Longhorns finally turning things around on the field certainly turned the tide in Texas’ favor.

“They made me change their perspective on them a lot,” Garth said. “Beating all of those ranked teams made me change my view.”

Ranked as the nation’s No. 292 player and No. 32 offensive tackle, per the 247Sports Composite, Garth becomes the fifth addition to Texas’ 2020 class, joining four-star talents in Lake Travis quarterback Hudson Card, Helotes O’Connor offensive guard Logan Parr, Prosper offensive tackle Jake Majors, and the aforementioned Cooper.

The addition of Garth marks the third pledge along the offensive line for Herb Hand and the Horns this cycle, which already matches the efforts of Texas’ 2019 class, in which the Longhorns signed a trio of four-star offensive tackles in Tyler Johnson, Isaiah Hookfin, and Javonne Shepherd.

This story will be updated.