4-star CB Joshua Eaton commits to Texas over Texas A&M

Tom Herman and his staff have once again reaped the rewards of a recruitment that essentially changed course down the stretch, with Houston Aldine MacArthur cornerback Joshua Eaton becoming the latest example after siding with the Texas Longhorns over the Texas A&M Aggies on Friday.

Eaton named also Florida, Oklahoma, and Alabama as top options in mid-June, though it’s long been expected that the Houston native would remain close to home and ultimately take his talents to Texas or Texas A&M.

To that end, entering the month, the Aggies appeared to be in a fairly ideal position to land Eaton as he neared a decision. The four-star defensive back originally planned to announce his decision on Aug. 6, and had Eaton held firm to that planned decision date, the near consensus was that he’d be calling College Station home after the Aggies captured an early lead from the Longhorns and maintained that momentum throughout much of the summer.

However, as is often the case in recruiting, and as Texas benefitted from just weeks ago with the addition of Bijan Robinson, momentum suddenly seemed to shift, likely thanks in large part to his late July trip to Austin.

Shortly after Eaton postponed his decision, momentum, of course, did shift.

By mid-August, just days after virtually all signs pointed towards College Station, the industry consensus became that Eaton would ultimately don burnt orange, and that belief was only bolstered by the Longhorns outlasting the Aggies and landing Eaton’s close friend and four-star safety Xavion Alford on Aug. 16.

Exactly one week later, the Longhorns have now landed Eaton, providing Texas with another major head-to-head recruiting win over Texas A&M, as well as the third and likely final cornerback piece in the Longhorns’ 2020 class, as The 6’2, 175-pound Eaton joins a pair of four-star prospects in John Tyler standout Kitan Crawford and Winter Park (Fla.) product Ethan Pouncey.

Currently ranked as the nation’s No. 335 player overall and as the No. 28 cornerback, per the 247Sports Composite, Eaton becomes the 18th member of Tom Herman’s 2020 class, which currently sits atop the Big 12.

• Bijan Robinson — 5-star RB — Tucson (Az.) Salpointe Catholic
• Ja’Quinden Jackson — 4-star QB — Duncanville
• Hudson Card — 4-star QB — Austin Lake Travis
• Quentin Johnston — 4-star WR — Temple
• Vernon Broughton — 4-star DT — Houston Cy Ridge
• Prince Dorbah — 4-star WDE — Dallas Highland Park
• Jaylen Garth — 4-star OT — Port Neches-Groves
• Xavion Alford — 4-star S — Pearland Shadow Creek
• Ethan Pouncey — 4-star CB — Winter Park (Fla.)
• Jake Majors — 4-star C — Prosper
• Kitan Crawford — 4-star CB — Tyler John Tyler
• Jerrin Thompson — 4-star S — Lukfin
• Princely Umanmielen — 4-star SDE — Manor
• Logan Parr — 4-star OG — Helotes O’Connor
• Joshua Eaton — 4-star CB — Houston Aldine MacArthur
• Van Fillinger — 3-star SDE — Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon
• Andrej Karic — 3-star OT — Southlake Carroll
• Jaden Hullaby — 3-star ATH — Dallas Bishop Dunne