Texas football gets surprise pledge from 4-Star 2024 WR Hunter Moddon

Great news arrived for the fans on the Forty Acres heading into the weekend of the regular season opener, seeing that the 2024 Texas football recruiting class added a commitment from the highly touted four-star Houston Clear Lake wide receiver/athlete Hunter Moddon. Texas is now up to three commitments in the 2024 class after landing this abrupt commitment from Moddon that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns staff got the commitment of Moddon by way of an announcement on his Twitter timeline on the afternoon of Sep. 2. Moddon is the first recruit to commit to the Longhorns 2024 class since four-star Daingerfield athlete Aeryn Hampton gave his pledge back in February of this year.

This commitment from Moddon also came a few months after an unofficial visit that he took to Austin back in mid-June. He also camped with Texas and new wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator Brennan Marion during that visit.

Moddon also took a couple of unofficial visits to College Station to see the Texas A&M Aggies during the 2022 offseason.

Texas landed this commitment from Moddon over other Power Five offers he held from the likes of the TCU Horned Frogs, Georgia Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks, LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, and Texas Tech Red Raiders, among others.

Moreover, while Moddon is classified by many of the major recruiting services as an athlete, it looks like Texas is pitching him to play at wide receiver when he arrives on the Forty Acres. At Clear Lake High School, Moddon plays cornerback and wide receiver for the football team.

Moddon is a multi-sport athlete at Clear Lake, as he also competes in track and field events. He runs the 100, 200, and 400-meter events and also competes in the high jump and long jump.

What Texas is getting in the 6-foot and 170-pound wideout/athlete Moddon is a physically gifted athlete with good length, excellent open-field speed, and improving strength. As Moddon continues to put on weight, he will start to fill out more of his frame with the necessary muscle mass to compete at the Power Five level.

Yet, since Moddon is also at the beginning of his junior season in high school, he’s got plenty of time to add the 15 or 20 pounds that he probably needs to compete in live-game scenarios at the Power Five level.

It’s evident on film that Moddon is a very slippery athlete that is really difficult to bring down in traffic. While he doesn’t have the strongest lower body, he is still able to break through arm tackles without too much difficulty.

Moreover, it’s hard to exactly pinpoint what the specific fit will be for Moddon with the Texas offense. He doesn’t have one specific role that he could play yet in this wide receiver room. He’s got the elusiveness to work in tight spaces, which would help him compete on routes between the numbers out of the slot.

But Texas probably would want someone with a little bit more of an explosive athlete with quick bursts to play out of the slot (i.e. Jordan Whittington and Brenen Thompson).

Texas football gets third commit in the 2024 class in 4-Star ATH/WR Hunter Moddon

At the moment, I think the most natural fit for Moddon would be as a boundary wide receiver. He’s not the tallest wideout, but if he ends up growing at least another inch or two, he’s definitely vertically gifted enough to go up and get those contested 50/50 balls on the outside.

His leaping ability and timing on the ball are aspects of Moddon’s game that definitely stand out, regardless of what side of the ball he’s taking reps on. That combination of skills can be pretty lethal with an athlete of Moddon’s caliber.

Another aspect of Moddon’s game that really stands out is his deep route-running ability. Moddon can kick his speed into high gear when getting that push to beat opposing defensive backs deep. That’s when you really see the top-end speed come to life for Moddon.

In fact, one of the big reasons why Marion was the first to offer Moddon, when he was still on staff with the Pitt Panthers, was his potency as a deep ball threat. That should translate well in Sark’s offense, as he loves the ability to stretch the field vertically.

All in all, the deep threat that Moddon poses combined with his proficiency to bring down some of those contested 50/50 balls on the outside likely means that the pitch for him right now is to play on the boundary. But that could change depending on how the personnel needs shake out in the Longhorns 2024 class.

Another area where Moddon could make an impact on the Longhorns is in the return game. Moddon is elusive in traffic and he has excellent open-field vision as a returner. Combine those skills with his sure hands and high-level decision-making as a returner, and it’s easy to see the value that he can bring to the table for the special teams unit.

Granted, I do believe that the presence of speedier skill position players on the roster such as Thompson, four-star 2023 wide receiver commit Ryan Niblett, five-star 2023 wide receiver commit Johntay Cook, etc., that the role for Moddon might be limited.

Texas is probably looking for the type of speed that a sub-10.5 100-meter dash sprinter would bring to the table in the return game. Most of the 100-meter dash times that Moddon registered in the last couple of years clocked in around 11.1 or 11.2 seconds.

Furthermore, one aspect of Moddon’s game that we haven’t really talked about is his proficiency as a cover corner. Moddon’s ball skills, timing, leaping ability, and high football IQ make him a standout corner that could translate to the next level.

The fact that Marion offered and primarily recruited Moddon likely means that the plan is to have Moddon play at the wide receiver position. But it’s still worth noting that Moddon possesses the ability to compete as a cornerback for the Longhorns down the road.

Texas now has a trio of blue-chip commits in the 2024 class after landing a pledge from Moddon on Sep. 2. The other two commits in the 2024 class heading into this weekend are the aforementioned Hampton and four-star Aledo defensive back Jaden Allen.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2024 Texas recruiting class now ranks at No. 6 in the nation and in the top spot in the Big 12.