Coveted S Xavion Alford details why Texas is a top team

After seeing his stock absolutely soar throughout the spring, collecting the bulk of his 42 offers since the turn of the year, Pearland Shadow Creek safety Xavion Alford has now cut three-fourths of his options from consideration. As of Tuesday evening, only 10 programs remain in the mix for the nation’s No. 182 player and No. 15 safety, per the 247Sports Composite — a list that includes LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M, among others.

Texas, too, survived Alford’s initial list cut, which didn’t come as much of a surprise considering Alford has become a mainstay on the Forty Acres since adding his Longhorns offer in early February. Simply hosting a coveted prospect such as Alford isn’t enough to convince them to continue considering your program, though.

It Texas’ case, the Horns are still standing courtesy of the relationship they’ve built with the Houston-area defensive back, and the way in which he’s welcomed in Austin.

“The relationship I have with Coach Naviar and Coach Herman is great,” Alford told BON’s Joe Hamilton of why Texas made his top group. “I’ve been up on multiple occasions and every time they have rolled out the red carpet.”

Since adding his offer in early February, Alford has toured Texas three times in as many months. His first visit took place for the Junior Day in mid-February, just a couple short weeks after officially becoming a Longhorns target. Less than a full month later, Alford returned to take in a Texas spring practice on March 15.

Most recently, Alford was on hand for the Orange-White spring game, where he found himself surrounded by some of the greatest defensive backs to ever grace the Forty Acres.

“The spring game also just put a cherry on top, just being able to be around guys like Earl Thomas, Quandre Diggs, Micheal Huff was eye-opening,” Alford said.

Xavion Alford

“Being impact guys in the secondary at Texas and them telling me they want me to continue the tradition was crazy,” Alford added. “Earl also said he watched my film and was very impressed, and likes my game. Huff and I talk often, and that wast first time meet Q Diggs.”

When Thomas watched Alford’s film, he likely recognized a talent who can be best described as a rangy ball hawk, as evident by his 20 pass breakups and six interceptions last season.

“Alford’s physicality and ability to read the field as the last line of defense are just a few reasons why the Longhorns [are] after his services,” BON’s Joe Hamilton wrote. “He believes that he can be a ballhawk, a leader, and bring overall elite competitiveness to a program at the next level.”

As evident by his aforementioned offer list, dozens of programs are in agreement with Alford’s personal expectations for the next level.

When it’s all said and done, though, and Alford brings his recruitment to a close, only one program will be adding his services to its secondary. At this point, all signs point towards LSU, where he’s also visited on multiple occasions, and suddenly, each of Alford’s eight Crystal Ball picks favor Ed Orgeron’s program.

With that in mind, Texas isn’t going to quit pushing for one of its priority prospects, so after surviving his initial list cut, the next chore at hand is surviving his next.

“It will be interesting to see how hard they push to make the top 5.”