Texas Football: Horns pursuing 2020 OK State commit amid coaching shifts?

Could the attention for the 2020 Texas football recruiting class be turning to a key Oklahoma State Cowboys 3-Star DT commit?

With all the coaching changes of late for the Texas football program, there was going to be a tangible impact that took place on the recruiting trail. Head Texas football coach Tom Herman saw one of his key 2020 commits open his recruitment back up after he let go of third-year defensive coordinator on Dec. 1.

That key decommitment that came on Dec. 1 for the Texas Longhorns football program is four-star defensive end Van Fillinger. Now, the Longhorns are going to have to fill a void that emerged at defensive tackle.

There will also be additional scholarships to fill since the Longhorns lost three players to the NCAA Transfer Portal on Dec. 2. Among those were redshit junior offensive lineman J.P. Urquidez and redshirt junior kicker Chris Naggar. While neither were defensive tackles, it does open up the roster a bit to fill scholarship positions.

However, another intriguing factor that always comes along with significant coaching staff changes is the shift in focus on the recruiting trail. With new coaching personnel comes along new recruiting tactics. New positional needs will also emerge for the Longhorns.

One key target to watch that Herman and the Longhorns could focus more on in the coming months is three-star Longview High School defensive tackle and Oklahoma State Cowboys commit Sawyer Goram-Welch.

Given the list of schools on his offer sheet, more attention from the Longhorns would at least grab the attention of Goram-Welch. The best of his 15 offers, outside of the school he committed to and Texas, came from the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Oregon State Beavers, SMU Mustangs, Illinois Fighting Illini, and Memphis Tigers.

Add Texas to that list and Goram-Welch would have to at least consider all options on the table. It also helps that he’s an in-state product that obviously would be drawn to playing on a building Big 12 defense.

Texas is really the only blue blood program on that list, and whoever the next defensive coordinator in Austin is could continue drawing interest from Goram-Welch. He did officially receive his scholarship offer from the Longhorns on Dec. 2.

The Longhorns would be digging deep for this 6-foot-4 and 278 pound defensive tackle that is ranked as the No. 945 2020 high school prospect in the nation and the No. 75 at his position. If head coach Mike Gundy and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles saw something in Goram-Welch, then he could be a developmental talent worth taking a flier on. Texas Tech and Oregon State are also improving Power Five defenses this year.

Texas is down to 17 commits in their 2020 recruiting class, that now ranks at No. 7 in the nation and still at the top in the Big 12. Filling the class up with one more unheralded three-star defensive prospect could be a new way to rejuvenate the energy on that side of the ball.