Texas football adds elusive playmaker in 4-Star WR Freddie Dubose Jr.

The second commitment in as many days arrived for Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian in the 2024 recruiting class on the evening of June 18. Texas pulled in a commitment from the touted four-star Spring Branch (TX) Smithson Valley wide receiver Freddie Dubose Jr. via an announcement on social media to cap the weekend.

Dubose committed to the Longhorns following the conclusion of his official visit to Austin, which started on June 16. He is the first wide receiver to commit to the Longhorns 2024 class, and the fifth recruit overall to join the mix.

Texas is now up to four blue-chip commits in the Longhorns 2024 class after adding pledges from four-star Scottsdale (AZ) Desert Mountain cornerback Santana Wilson and Dubose in the last couple of days. And it sounds like this wave of momentum will only grow from here for Sark and the Longhorns staff coming out of the first big official visit weekend of June in the last 48 hours or so.

Dubose committed to Texas over offers from the Tennessee Volunteers, UTSA Roadrunners, Arkansas Razorbacks, Baylor Bears, Nebraska Cornhuskers, TCU Horned Frogs, and Texas A&M Aggies, among many other Power Five schools.

Dubose’s official visit to Texas came one weekend after his official trip to San Antonio to see UTSA, which began on June 9. He was also originally scheduled to make an official visit to Knoxville, TN, next weekend to see Tennessee.

Texas football gets its first wide receiver commit in the 2024 class in 4-Star Freddie Dubose Jr.

Texas and new wide receivers coach Chris Jackson had an abundance of wide receiver recruits on campus in the 2024 class for official visits this weekend. Dubose was one of many blue-chip wide receiver recruits on the 40 for an official visit this weekend, including four-star Aeryn Hampton and five-star Ryan Wingo.

It was hard to tell how hard Texas would push for a commitment from Dubose coming out of the official visit this weekend, given the plethora of wide receiver targets set to be on campus in mid-to-late June. But it’s clear that Sark, Jackson, and the Longhorns greatly value the skill set that Dubose brings to the table given the timing of the commitment and the smoke we heard surrounding this recruitment in the last 48 or 72 hours.

Texas gets a high-upside receiver with some risks in Dubose

Dubose is a 6-foot-1 and 175-pound San Antonio-area native wide receiver with special physical tools and a natural wideout skill set. He’s got excellent hands and body control with a high level of speed and change in direction.

The risk of getting a commitment from Dubose is the ACL injury he suffered last fall during his junior high school football season. Dubose missed almost his entire junior season at Schertz (TX) Clemens due to the ACL injury he suffered in the first game of the 2022 campaign.

But the good news is that Dubose made a lightning-quick recovery, showing his insane work ethic and commitment to the rehab program in the last six or eight months. Dubose was injured early last fall and was already able to return for the track and field season and the camp/combine circuit this spring.

Dubose was a versatile playmaker during his sophomore season at Schertz Clemens. He could make opposing defenders miss in the open field as a ball carrier out of the backfield or after the catch running deep and intermediate routes.

If Texas gets the version of Dubose that showed quick change of direction and excellent speed and agility in space, then the Longhorns really knocked this one out of the park.

Dubose’s receiver skill set is top notch

Dubose is a dangerous playmaker in space after the catch and possesses excellent hands and separating ability when running routes. He can use his quick feet and wiry frame to get loose from the opposing defensive back in coverage.

And once Dubose gets the ball in his hands, he can make opposing defenders miss with his short-area quickness or by flat-out burning them with his straight-line speed.

That impressive straight-line speed allows Dubose also to be a viable big-play threat. He has the speed and explosiveness to beat opposing defenders over the top with the deep ball or put on the burners after the catch in the short and intermediate passing game.

Last but not least, Dubose’s physical gifts really shine when he’s put in 50/50 jump ball situations. Dubose has elite vertical ability, excellent body control, and good ball skills. That is a lethal combination of skills to help Dubose win 50/50 contested balls on the boundary.

Dubose has proven his vertical ability multiple times over as he competes in the triple jump and long jump for the track and field team at Smithson Valley High School. He was also one of the best in the state as a sophomore in the triple jump and long jump at Clemens High School.

Dubose projects as an upside boundary receiver at Texas

While Dubose stands at 6-foot-1, a bit shorter than the traditional boundary receiver in Sark’s offense, he’s still capable of handling starting receiver duties on the outside. Dubose’s elite vertical ability, strong hands, and separating ability make him a versatile threat that Sark can use in multiple ways to confuse opposing defenses pre-snap.

Dubose does possess the aforementioned tools that allow him to thrive in a traditional boundary receiver role. But his speed and short-area quickness means he can be motioned around pre-snap inside or out of the slot to pose a threat in the short passing game and out in the flats.

That type of versatility and ability to make opposing defenders miss in space make Dubose an ideal fit as a boundary receiver that can be a threat in multiple ways in Sark’s offense.

This is also a good fit because Texas could be lacking depth at boundary receiver next offseason, depending on whether junior wide receiver AD Mitchell and redshirt junior Isaiah Neyor declare early for the 2024 NFL Draft. High-upside receivers like Dubose can add valuable young depth on the boundary for the Longhorns heading into the future.

Dubose isn’t the first, and he won’t be the last, recruit in the 2024 class that commits to Texas in what remains of the big official visit month of June. We expect more commitments to be on the way for the Longhorns ahead of another big official visit weekend starting June 23.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2024 Texas recruiting class now ranks at No. 56 in the nation.