Texas Football: Breaking down 4 must-get recruits in the 2024 class

Daniel Cruz, IOL

There are quite a few important offensive line offers on the board already in the 2024 class for offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Kyle Flood and the Longhorns have to watch heading into the spring. But only a handful are truly going to be top priorities for Flood and the Longhorns.

At offensive tackle, three offers to watch in the 2024 class includes Roswell Walton (GA) four-star Daniel Calhoun, Copperas Cove (TX) four-star Michael Uini, and League City Clear Springs (TX) four-star Blake Ivy. I would anticipate that at least one or two of that aforementioned trio of offensive tackle offers for the Longhorns in the 2024 class winds up committing to Texas.

Among the interior offensive linemen, there is also a pretty clear picture of who the top priorities are in the 2024 class. The underrated 6-foot-3.5 and 305-pound North Richland Hills-Richland (TX) interior offensive lineman Daniel Cruz leads the way for the top 2024 IOL priorities in the state of Texas for Flood and the Longhorns.

Four-star Humble Atascocita IOL Nate Kibble and four-star Mater Dei (CA) IOL DeAndre Carter highlight some of the top priorities at this spot outside of Cruz.

Moreover, Cruz is someone that I firmly believe isn’t getting enough national respect on the recruiting trail at the moment. Cruz has excellent mobility, a strong base, and good hands which allow him to be one of the more versatile and agile blockers in the running and passing game.

He can play at center or guard, which makes him all the more valuable to Flood and the Longhorns in the 2024 class.

From an athleticism and physical tools perspective, Cruz looks the part on the field and in the camp/combine scene. He’s already put on around 25 pounds year-over-year since he first exploded onto the recruiting scene in late 2021 and early 2022.

His combination of length and mobility is also something that fits the mold of what Flood and the Longhorns are looking for out of the “big humans” they want in the trenches that can move bodies off the line of scrimmage. Cruz is the type of interior offensive lineman you want manning the trenches upon the move to the SEC in 2024.

Texas sits in a great spot at the moment among the top schools in the race to land a commitment from Cruz. Flood and the Longhorns hosted Cruz during the Texas Junior Day weekend last month. And he is looking to officially visit Texas at some point during the summer in all likelihood.

Cruz has also unofficially visited the Oklahoma Sooners, Baylor Bears, and Texas A&M multiple times. A report from Bill Kurelic of 247Sports on Feb. 8 (paid content) also notes that Ohio State is making a big push of late to get Cruz to campus.

It looks like this could be another recruiting battle that boils down to Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, with some other schools such as Ohio State and Baylor still potential visit destinations this summer.