Texas Football: What walk-on TE Paxton Anderson brings the Longhorns

A strong addition to the 2020 class of preferred walk-ons for the Texas football program came on Feb. 3 with in-state TE Paxton Anderson.

The 2020 Texas football recruiting class will start to see more and more preferred walk-ons pour into the mix as we move closer and closer to National Signing Day later this week. On Feb. 3, Texas learned that it would be adding the 2020 Highland Park tight end Paxton Anderson as a preferred walk-on to their recruiting class ahead of the Feb. 5 National Signing Day.

Since the Texas Longhorns football program could use an injection boost of depth in the receiving corps and tight end room, landing Anderson is a good get for head coach Tom Herman and recently hired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.

The Longhorns should make good use out of their tight ends with the addition of the former Ohio State Buckeyes passing game coordinator Yurcich to the coaching staff. Yurcich and Herman both need a lot of value out of their tight ends in different ways. Yurcich included the tight ends/cowboy backs frequently as the offensive coordinator under head coach Mike Gundy in his days with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The 6-foot-3 and 190 pound Dallas, TX, native only had one FBS offer that came his way. The Arkansas Razorbacks sent Anderson an offer, but it seemed that he preferred to land with the Longhorns as a preferred walk-on instead of taking his talents to Fayetteville.

Given the head coaching turnover with the Razorbacks, it’s somewhat understandable that Anderson wanted to play his college football in-state with the Longhorns. He’ll also get to join a potential Big 12 Title and College Football Playoff contender right away.

If Anderson can make an impact with the Longhorns when he gets his chances early on during summer workouts and fall camp, then he could work his way into some playing time by his second or third year on campus. He’ll have a good group of tight ends to work past, though, before he reaches that point.

To-be second-year tight ends like the former four-star Arizona native recruit Brayden Liebrock and stout blocker Jared Wiley could be the future at the position for the Longhorns. But key depth is added with a good route runner and reliable pass-catcher like Anderson.

Likely another appealing point for Anderson in landing with the Longhorns was the fact that his teammate and four-star Highland Park outside linebacker/edge rusher Prince Dorbah signed with Texas. Dorbah is one of the most highly touted signees in the 2020 recruiting class for Herman and the Longhorns.

Anderson is also the grandson of the Dallas Cowboys long-time owner Jerry Jones. There is a lengthy tie between Jones and the Razorbacks. So landing the commitment of Anderson as a preferred walk-on is a big deal that could fly under-the-radar for the Longhorns.