Texas football builds up foundation on DL with 3-Star Kristopher Ross

The first commit in what seems like a while (but in reality is not) for the 2022 Texas football recruiting class arrived on the afternoon/early evening of March 23. On a scheduled decision date for noted Texas target and three-star North Shore 6-foot-3 and 280 pound defensive tackle Kristopher Ross.

The Houston, TX, product Ross announced his commitment to newly hired head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns 2022 class on March 23 on his Twitter timeline. But he had an anticipated decision date on this afternoon and was trending toward the Longhorns for a couple of weeks now.

This is the first defensive tackle commit that the Longhorns have landed in their 2022 class thus far. In fact, Ross is the first defensive lineman/edge rusher commit in this 2022 class.

What 3-Star DT Kristopher Ross brings to Texas football?

Ross tends to fit the exact profile of an underrated prospect that the Longhorns are able to develop at a proficient level to anchor the defensive line. Underrated three and four-star recruits have often risen to the occasion for the Longhorns in recent years.

Going all the way back to the recruitments of Texas Exes like defensive end Charles Omenihu (three-star prospect), defensive tackle Poona Ford (lower-tier four-star prospect), and defensive end Ta’Quon Graham (lower-tier four-star prospect), this team has actually found value in the trenches on the recruiting trail.

Ross is a fundamental defensive tackle that has a high motor and a good amount of versatility between his ability to anchor the line in run and pass defense. Ross might not have the ceiling right out of the gates of becoming an immediate star defensive tackle that gets three or five sacks per season, but he could have that potential later on down the road.

This is still good for the Longhorns to get off and running for building their foundation in the 2022 class along the defensive line. Ross chose to commit to Texas over offers from more than a dozen other schools.

Some of the other notable schools on his offer sheet include the Auburn Tigers, Baylor Bears, Colorado Buffaloes, LSU Tigers, Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners, Ole Miss Rebels, SMU Mustangs, and USC Trojans.

Moreover, Ross ranks as the nation’s No. 430 2022 high school prospect, No. 35 defensive tackle, and No. 58 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranks him as the No. 28 defensive tackle and No. 46 prospect out of Texas.

Texas is now up to seven commits in their 2022 class. Ross is the second that can play along with the front seven, along with the underrated three-star Arlington-Martin inside linebacker Trevell Johnson. This could be a commitment that continues momentum for the 2022 class on the defensive side of the ball for Sark and new defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2022 Texas recruiting class now ranks at No. 8 in the nation and in the second spot in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma. Ross is the latest commitment in a 2022 recruiting class where the highest rated prospect is the elite five-star Junipero Serra pro-style quarterback Maalik Murphy.