Texas Football: Impact 3-Star DT Sawyer Goram-Welch brings Longhorns

What will the addition of 3-Star 2020 DE do for the next Texas football recruiting class just ahead of the Early Signing Period?

The 2020 Texas football recruiting class got a nice addition at the defensive tackle spot, just ahead of the start of the Early Signing Period, by landing a commitment from three-star Longview product Sawyer Goram-Welch. Texas landed Goram-Welch on Dec. 15, and the start of the Early Signing Period is on Dec. 18.

Entering the Early Signing Period on the right foot is the way to go for the Texas Longhorns football program. Especially with all the coaching staff seemingly in flux under the direction of head coach Tom Herman, landing a solid underrated prospect like Goram-Welch comes at a good time.

With that in mind, what are the Longhorns truly getting with Goram-Welch?

First-off, his large frame and quick feet should make him a good fit with the aggressive defensive front that newly hired Texas defensive coordinator Chris Ash likes to run. The former Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach could use a piece like Goram-Welch to fit into his sometimes aggressive four-man front.

At 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, Goram-Welch does still need to put on some size. But he brings a solid frame to the table if he’s going to be one of the two defensive tackles lining up for Ash’s group in the trenches.

What Goram-Welch also brings to the table for the Longhorns is an official turn of the tide in terms of their recruiting momentum. While the Longhorns did lose the commitment of four-star top-70 ranked 2020 wide receiver Quentin Johnston on Dec. 16, they did at least get one key addition to the defensive side of the ball in this class with Goram-Welch.

Moreover, Goram-Welch ranks as the nation’s No. 1,203 2020 high school prospect and the No. 86 defensive tackle (247Sports Composite Ranking). That is a slight drop in the recruiting ranking that Goram-Welch had in the latest 247Sports Composite updates. He is now slotted outside the top 150 ranked 2020 high school prospects coming out of the state of Texas.

The post on Goram-Welch’s Twitter timeline when he committed to Texas on Dec. 15 made it sound like he will be signing his National Letter of Intent during the Early Signing Period. He also looks to enroll early at Texas and participate in spring camp.

Getting another part of this signing class on campus early should be a big priority for Herman. Possibly having two new coordinators on the Forty Acres can bring a certain instability to the offseason, and having as many signees on campus as possible for spring ball is huge.

With the patience that Herman and Ash will need to take with Goram-Welch’s development early on, having him around for one more spring camp is also big. He does have to put on size and understand this new scheme that Ash will be bringing with him compared to former Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

But it is good that the Longhorns are able to add a defensive tackle to this 2020 recruiting class to replace the void left by the decommitted four-star Utah native Van Fillinger. Goram-Welch isn’t as highly touted as Fillinger, but he could still be a valuable piece to this defense as a developmental prospect.

Goram-Welch did wind up committing to Texas after decommitting from the Oklahoma State Cowboys earlier this month. Nabbing a Texas offer seemed to flip his interests quickly. He also had offers from other programs like the SMU Mustangs, Houston Cougars, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Purdue Boilermakers.