4-Star Texas football WR target predicted to commit to Oregon

A late target in this cycle of the 2021 Texas football recruiting class, 4-Star WR Dont’e Thornton, is projected to land with Oregon.

One of the positions of emphasis for the 2021 Texas football recruiting class just ahead of the Early Signing Period for head coach Tom Herman is wide receiver. Texas hasn’t landed a single blue chip wide receiver commit in their 2021 class as of yet. And they didn’t land a 247Sports Composite top 150 ranked prospect in the nation at the wide receiver position in the 2020 class.

There’s a recent wide receiver target of Herman and the Longhorns that is soon to announce his commitment decision in the very near future. Four-star Mount Saint Joseph 6-foot-4.5 and 185 pound wide receiver Dont’e Thornton received his Texas scholarship offer last month, and it is the most recent one he’s received.

On the night of Oct. 20, it looks as if this sizable wideout product hailing from Baltimore, MD, will be announcing his commitment decision. And the Longhorns might be included in the list of finalist schools that Thornton is narrowing his decision down to.

Texas is one of more than two dozen schools that offered Thornton prior to the announcement of his commitment decision later this week. The other highlighting schools on his offer sheet includes the Arizona State Sun Devils, Florida State Seminoles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, Virginia Cavaliers, Penn State Nittany Lions, Auburn Tigers, Baylor Bears, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Michigan Wolverines, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Ohio State Buckeyes, Tennessee Volunteers, and Wisconsin Badgers.

A few of the schools that it looks like Thornton could be down to are Virginia, Oregon, Florida State, Notre Dame, and USC. But schools that got into the race to land his pledge late could be included in the mix. Texas sits in a group of schools that offered him since since the turn of the calendar year that also includes Georgia, Baylor, and Washington State.

The 247Sports Crystal Ball Predictions has a pretty heavy edge going to the way of head coach Mario Cristobal and the Ducks to land Thornton’s commitment. The Rivals FutureCast also gives the heavy edge to Oregon in this regard.

Moreover, Thornton ranks as the nation’s No. 51 2021 high school prospect, No. 6 wide receiver, and No. 2 prospect out of Maryland (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranks him as the nation’s No. 65 high school prospect, No. 9 wide receiver, and No. 2 prospect out of Maryland.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2021 Texas recruiting class ranks at No. 17 in the nation and remains behind the Oklahoma Sooners in the second spot in the Big 12. Texas holds 17 commits in their 2021 class, with three-star Strake Jesuit Max Merril being their latest addition to the mix.

Oregon’s 2021 recruiting class sits in the No. 3 spot in the national class rankings, and slots ahead of USC for the top spot in the PAC-12. They would land their 23rd commit in the 2021 class if they get Thornton, and their 16th four or five-star pledge.