Texas Football: 2022 class rounds out the edge with 4-Star Derrick Brown

The first addition to the 2022 Texas football recruiting class following the conclusion of the latest dead period of the offseason arrived on July 31. With Texas and new head coach Steve Sarkisian hosting a bunch of prospects on unofficial visits for the pool party and BBQ this weekend, landing a key commitment for the 2022 or 2023 class isn’t all that surprising.

And this latest addition to the Longhorns 2022 class to round out the month of July came in the form of the four-star Texas High 6-foot-3 and 210-pound edge rusher Derrick Brown. The commitment of Brown was announced on his Twitter timeline on the afternoon of July 31, to the jubilation of Longhorns fans everywhere.

Brown had a set decision date for a good while now since the conclusion of visit season last month. And the news of his commitment is just one headline in a busy week for the Longhorns, along with the Oklahoma Sooners.

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Getting this commitment from Brown is big for the Longhorns. The main competitor that the Longhorns had on the recruiting trail to land this commitment from Brown came from head coach Dave Aranda and the Baylor Bears. Brown had key official visits with both Baylor and Texas last month. And the immediate impressions that Brown had from each school were positive and clear.

2022 Texas football recruiting class one step closer to rounding out the defense with 4-Star EDGE Derrick Brown

But Texas wound up winning him over when it was all said and done this weekend.

Some of the other schools that Texas beat out to win over the commitment of Brown included the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Oklahoma, Arizona State Sun Devils, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Penn State Nittany Lions, Ole Miss Rebels, SMU Mustangs, TCU Horned Frogs, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, Florida State Seminoles, and Arkansas Razorbacks.

Brown is the 10th blue-chip commit in the Longhorns 2022 class. And he helps to start rounding out the front seven that the likes of co-defensive coordinators/linebackers coaches Pete Kwiatkowski and Jeff Choate would like to have in the mix.

Moreover, Brown is the first true edge rusher committed in the 2022 class. And he’s coming off a solid 2020 season with Texas High where he registered 67 combined tackles, 20 tackles for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception.

What Texas is getting in Brown is an explosive edge rusher that has good feet and excellent closing speed. Brown is more capable in setting the edge and rushing the passer compared to dropping back into pass coverage. He is likely to play at the JACK position for the Longhorns, similar to that of the former star outside linebacker Joseph Ossai.

Texas is getting a pretty well-rounded 2022 class put together at this point. And it looks as if the Longhorns will challenge the rival Sooners on an ongoing basis to claim the top spot in the Big 12 for this recruiting cycle.

As the 10th blue-chip commit in the 2022 class, Brown ranks as the nation’s No. 298 2022 high school prospect, No. 16 edge rusher, and No. 46 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite). And the Top247 ranks him as the No. 20 edge rusher and No. 65 prospect out of Texas.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2022 Texas recruiting class ranks at No. 11 in the nation and in the second spot in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma. Texas is now up to 15 commits total in the 2022 class following the addition of Brown this weekend.