AUSTIN, Texas -- Cibolo (Texas) Steele head coach Mike Jinks was given more reason to celebrate while at a graduation party late Sunday afternoon when he was informed that his safety, Erik Huhn, committed to the Longhorns.
"He's a phenomenal player," Jinks said.
Texas clearly thought the same after Huhn, a 6-foot-2, 215-pounder, had himself a day to remember during Texas' mini camp that featured nearly all of its 2013 class.
No one really expected Huhn to become one of those commitments by days end because there hasn't been much communication between the two sides, but such is the world of recruiting.
"A lot of times you get a football player that is 6-foot-2 and 215-pounds and you think 'Well is he a football player or is he not?'" Jinks said. "This kid is a football player to the 10th degree. He is an impact player. I think Texas got lucky today."
In Huhn, the Longhorns have their 15th commitment in 2013 and their second defensive back alongside ESPN 150 cornerback Antwuan Davis (Bastrop, Texas/Bastrop).
Offers are thought to be thin in the secondary with speculation that the Longhorns would take only three to four defensive backs. With Huhn joining the fray the remaining two or so spots will be highly coveted. But who will fill them?
Texas still has offers out to several four-star cornerbacks, including ESPN 150 member Maurice Smith (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles), Chevoski Collins (Livingston, Texas/Livingston) and Cole Luke (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton). It's expected that four-star Noel Ellis (New Orleans, La./ Edna Karr) could get an offer at any point, and he is really high on the Longhorns.
From a safety standpoint, the Longhorns have offers out to ESPN 150 members Vonn Bell (Rossville, Ga./Ridgeland) and Marcell Harris (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips).
While it remains to be seen who fills the remaining spots, one thing is for sure: Huhn has secured one of them.
Texas was a place that he's been dreaming of going, according to Jinks. But it was far from his only option. Huhn chose the Longhorns over offers from Baylor, Duke, Georgia, Houston, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oklahoma, Purdue, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, UTEP, UTSA and Wake Forest.
"He has always wanted to go to Texas," he said. "He earned it. He went out there and busted his [butt]. He has offers from all over the country. He didn't have to do that. He went out there and earned it and committed, and they are going to be pretty glad that he did."
This was by no means a rushed decision either.
"He is really intelligent. Both of his parents are lawyers," Jinks said. "He's been offered by pretty much everywhere in the country already. His dad called me and said we want to go visit Rice and Stanford. This kid understands the big picture."
Huhn has started for Steele since his sophomore year and has helped lead the Knights to a state title in 2010 and a state finals appearance last year.