Texas Football: 2022 class adds commitment from LS Lance St. Louis

An emerging theme to watch for the 2022 Texas football recruiting class entering the summer months is an emphasis on special teams. Building out a solid special teams unit will never be the sexiest thing that new head coach Steve Sarkisian and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks can do on the recruiting trail, but it is important to have a well-rounded team.

That theme came to the forefront this week when Sark, Banks, and the Longhorns got a commitment from Williams Field (AZ) long snapper Lance St. Louis. The commitment from the 2022 Arizona native long snapper St. Louis was announced on his Twitter timeline on June 7.

St. Louis is now the ninth commitment in the Longhorns 2022 class and the first specifically for the special teams unit. Texas hasn’t truly focused in on getting a long snapper out of high school for any recruiting class in the past three cycles, so this point of emphasis could show a special teams unit truly turning the corner.

There were times over the past few years in which the Longhorns were good on special teams. But it always feels like there it at least one part of the Texas special teams unit that causes problems that costs the team at least one game a season.

A new special teams focal point for the 2022 Texas football recruiting class after landing LS Lance St. Louis

A place where these types of mistakes don’t tend to happen is Tuscaloosa. Establishing that sort of culture in Austin seems to be a theme for the former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Sark and the STC Banks.

St. Louis is a 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Long Snapper that hails out of Gilbert, AZ. His Texas scholarship offer officially came his way on June 1. It took less than a full week for Texas to get his commitment in the 2022 class.

He reportedly ranks as the No. 2 long snapper in the country for this recruiting cycle by Kohl’s Football Kicking Camps. The lone long snapper among 2022 high school prospects that ranks higher than St. Louis from Kohl’s Kicking Camps is Levi Hancock.

Here’s more on what Kohl’s Kicking Camps had to say about St. Louis in their scouting report on his game.

"St. Louis continues to display why he is one of the best in the country and has the talent to play for any program in America. He has a rare combination of athleticism and snapping talent. St. Louis recently competed at the Kohl’s Western Showcase and finished the day with an average snap time of .66 seconds. He followed up his strong charting performance by running a 4.75-second 40-yard dash. St. Louis has the talent and drive to play the position for a very long time."

Texas looks to be getting a good one in St. Louis. And it will be key to watch how commitments for the special teams unit trends for the Longhorns 2022 class from here on out. That should be the big takeaway from getting this pledge from St. Louis.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2022 Texas recruiting class ranks at No. 10 in the nation and in the second spot in the Big 12 behind the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas now has nine commits in their 2022 class, with the highest rated being four-star Klein Cain running back Jaydon Blue.