Texas landed its second verbal commitment off =its junior day, this one coming from an under-the-radar standout who was offered on Saturday.
Rowlett (Texas) defensive end Charles Omenihu became the eighth member of the Longhorns’ 2015 recruiting class when he announced his commitment on Monday.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound end made his decision after visiting Texas on Saturday and Oklahoma State on Sunday. He also held offers from Northwestern, Tulsa, SMU and Louisiana Tech.
The reason why he chose Texas was simple: He likes Charlie Strong and the new coaching staff.
"Coach Strong, I love what he is doing and how he is setting the program,” Omenihu told ESPN.com’s Damon Sayles. “And then Coach [Chris] Rumph's personality is amazing. It's the right fit for me."
Following his time in Austin on Saturday, Omenihu said the Longhorns were his clear No. 1 school. He made that official two days later by ending his recruitment.
“I loved everything that I saw here,” Omenihu said after the visit. “I expected for it to be grand and really nice, but when you actually see it in person, it blows you away.”
Omenihu is the second defensive line pledge in Texas’ class, joining longtime commit Bryce English (DeSoto, Texas/DeSoto).
As a junior, Omenihu recorded 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. He received his Texas offer at the end of the junior day visit and considered committing on the spot.
“The whole defensive staff loved my tape,” he said. “They see me as a pass rusher who can get after it, add a little bit more weight on me and get bigger and I’ll play as well as I can.”
Texas also received a commitment on Saturday from offensive tackle Ronnie Major, a Huntsville (Texas) junior who had been committed to Baylor.
After signing only one defensive end in the 2014 class, and none the previous year, don’t be surprised if Texas loads up on ends this year and looks outside the state for help up front.
The Longhorns have long been pursuing ESPN 300 defensive ends James Lockhart (Ennis, Texas/Ennis) and Anthony Wheeler (Dallas/Skyline), and Strong’s staff has sent out offers to several out-of-state ends in recent weeks.