Texas Football: 2022 class elite on D-Line with 4-Star Jaray Bledsoe

It’s going to be hard to find a position group that will be stronger in the 2022 Texas football recruiting class when it’s all said and done than along the defensive line. Texas has added two more pieces to a defensive line that was already very deep in this 2022 class.

Last week, the Longhorns landed a commitment from the touted four-star Southaven (MS) defensive lineman Aaron Bryant. That brought the number of blue-chip commits along the defensive line up to four.

And then, new Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis continued his reign on the trail for the Longhorns 2022 class by landing a massive commitment on Aug. 30. Texas nabbed highly-touted four-star Marlin (TX) defensive lineman Jaray Bledsoe with his announcement on social media on the afternoon of Aug. 30.

More specifically, it was an announcement on Bledsoe’s Twitter timeline early this week that brought him to the Longhorns 2022 class. This is huge for the Longhorns as the 2022 class is starting to build out a real spot of strength for the future of this program.

Texas football ascending to new heights in the 2022 class after landing 4-Star DL Jaray Bledsoe

It was hard to predict that the Longhorns would boast anything close to this level of talent and depth along the defensive line just a few weeks ago. Texas, and more specifically key assistants like Davis and new safeties coach Blake Gideon, have caught fire on the trail of late to boost this class in the trenches.

As far as what Texas did to land the commitment of Bledsoe, beating out the in-state rival Texas A&M Aggies was paramount. Texas A&M was the main competition for Texas to land Bledsoe, and this staff got it done.

The last three visits that Bledsoe took during the summer months were with Texas and Texas A&M. Two of those were official visits with the Longhorns and Aggies back in June. And then, the latest visit that he took was an unofficial with Texas A&M at the end of last month.

Some of the other significant offers that Bledsoe received came from the likes of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, Oregon Ducks, and Penn State Nittany Lions.

Bledsoe didn’t have a large number of schools on his offer sheet, but the ones he did have were surely top-tier programs.

Moreover, Texas just landed the highest-ranked defensive linemen in the 2022 class in Bledsoe. The 6-foot-4 and 270-pound Bledsoe doesn’t traditionally play as a big defensive tackle. He can big a bigger defensive end, or put on some size to play at defensive tackle at the next level.

He won’t be competing in high school football this season after transferring schools. But he did have a stellar 2020 season at Bremond High School where he registered 104 combined tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one safety forced, and even some impressive rushing stats.

When he was playing at a lower level of high school football, Bledsoe was able to show off his true athleticism and multiplicity with more than 1,200 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. He also throws the shot put in track and field.

The physical tools and ceiling are definitely there for Bledsoe. It’s a shame that he won’t be able to play in high school during his senior campaign, but he should have a clear opportunity to make some headway with the Longhorns by enrolling early.

Technique is still a question at times with Bledsoe, and it won’t help with the scouting that he’s not playing in high school this fall. But his all-around physical tools and explosiveness should allow that to be a key learning point early in his college career.

Most other areas of Bledsoe’s games should make football scout’s mouths water. His motor off the line of scrimmage, drive, and versatility in blowing up rushing plays in the backfield and getting after the passer are the aspects that should make him so special.

It seems like with the depth of defensive linemen in the 2022 class for the Longhorns, the best use for Bledsoe would be to let him put on some size early in his college career and turn into a dominant defensive tackle athletically. He wouldn’t be best served as either an edge rusher or a nose tackle. Defensive tackle is a great fit for him in this new scheme under Pete Kwiatkowski.

Moreover, Bledsoe has immediately become one of the highest-ranked commits in this Longhorns 2022 class. He ranks as the nation’s No. 123 2022 high school prospect, No. 22 defensive lineman, and No. 23 prospect out of Texas (247Sports Composite).

Bledsoe is the 19th commit in the Longhorns 2022 class. And according to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2022 Texas recruiting class ranks at No. 7 in the nation and in the top spot in the Big 12 ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners.