Texas gets great schematic fit with 3-Star LB S’Maje Burrell

The most recent addition for the 2023 Texas football recruiting class arrived this weekend in the form of the underrated three-star North Crowley linebacker S’Maje Burrell. Texas added to their defensive class with the third commit of the cycle. But Burrell is the first linebacker in the mix for the 2023 class.

Co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jeff Choate did well to secure this commitment from Burrell in the Longhorns 2023 class. Burrell gives both Choate and fellow co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Pete Kwiatkowski an excellent scheme fit as they should be able to get a lot of value from his versatile skill set.

Expect Burrell to likely play as a middle linebacker for the Longhorns given his ranginess and 6-foot and 215-pound frame. He’s not the fastest linebacker you’ll ever see, but Burrell has surprisingly good closing speed and excels in pass coverage considering the position he plays.

Burrell is very fundamentally sound and is at least good at pretty much everything he needs to do as a middle/inside linebacker. He’s a sure tackler that’s also very reliable in pass coverage assignments running with the running back or tight end. Burrell is also about as reliable and fundamentally sound as a three-star linebacker recruit comes in terms of his run-stopping ability.

It’s the quick play recognition and instincts from the moment the ball is snapped that make Burrell so consistent in stopping the run and in pass coverage assignment. The speed at which he’s able to diagnose plays from the box is visible on film.

Texas football gets an impressive defensive scheme fit in 3-Star LB commit S’Maje Burrell

Given the gifted physical tools that Burrell brings to the table combined with his polished and modern skill set as a middle/inside linebacker, it’s easy to see the Longhorns being able to extract blue-chip type value from him as a three-star recruit. This has to be a commitment that Longhorns fans are very high on.

Texas is getting a linebacker that should be able to make an impact for this defensive front by potentially even his second year on campus. Burrell has that type of ability to be a consistent force for the Texas defensive front early in his collegiate career.

And that’s part of what makes this evaluation process of Burrell so impressive for the Longhorns coaching staff. This seems like the prototypical middle/inside linebacker that Choate and/or Kwiatkowski can turn into an all-conference type player.

Texas needs this sort of consistency at the linebacker position that Burrell brings to the table. Issues such as missed tackles, misread assignments, and delayed play diagnosis have plagued Texas at this position group in the last half-decade or so. That was especially the case last fall.

Moreover, there are going to be higher-rated linebacker targets for the Longhorns 2023 class that can bring a higher ceiling to the table than Burrell. But it’s easy to see Burrell eventually becoming one of the five or 10 best players coming out of this Longhorns 2023 recruiting class when we look back on this cycle a few years down the line.

Texas was able to reel in this commitment from Burrell over some key competing schools on the recruiting trail such as the Baylor Bears, Texas Tech Red Raiders, Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan State Spartans, and Oklahoma State Cowboys, among many others.

Landing this commitment from Burrell in such an abrupt fashion in the midst of the spring visit season is just more proof of how good this coaching staff is doing on the recruiting trail of late. Texas seems to be on a roll in the last few months recruiting on the defensive side of the ball in multiple classes.

Texas is now up to three commits in the 2023 class with Burrell now in the mix. According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2023 Texas recruiting class now ranks at No. 22 in the nation and No. 4 in the Big 12.