4-Star EDGE with elite upside Smith Orogbo commits to Texas

Four-star Houston (TX) Alief Hastings edge rusher Smith Orogbo has committed to Texas football, per a post on his X account on July 1. Orogbo committed to Texas over his other three finalist schools on Monday afternoon, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Oklahoma Sooners, and Washington Huskies.

Texas football beats out OU for 4-Star EDGE priority Smith Orogbo

Texas had the momentum in this recruitment late in the process after Orogbo had a successful official visit to Austin in mid-June. He told Horns247 on July 1 (paid content) that he loves the city of Austin and the feel/atmosphere surrounding the program and the University of Texas.

"Man it felt like home. I know that's a place where I could see myself developing my true potential."

Texas co-DC/LB coach Pete Kwiatkowski and new DL coach Kenny Baker took the leader in this recruitment for Orogbo. PK did a great job building the relationship with Orogbo and staying in constant communication with him and his family over the last year or so in his recruitment.

Orogbo also quickly formed a special connection with Baker after he was hired at Texas as the defensive line coach early this offseason. He spent time with both Baker and PK during his last two visits to Texas since spring practice in April.

The relationships he formed with the coaches and the academic standing of UT won this recruitment for the Longhorns. It was also a factor that Orogbo gets to stay close to home in Houston by choosing to attend Texas over other further away schools like Texas Tech and Washington.

Orogbo gives Texas's EDGE room another high-impact talent for the SEC in the near future

PK and Johnny Nansen are recruiting at an insanely high level at the EDGE position in the last couple of cycles. Texas has landed multiple blue-chip edge rusher commitments for 2024 and 2025 since last offseason, including 2025 high-four-star Lance Jackson and 2024 five-star Colin Simmons.

The cupboard should be stocked full of depth and talent for the foreseeable future at edge rusher for the Longhorns entering the SEC this year.

What Texas is getting from the talented 6-foot-4 and 225-pound edge rusher from Houston is a potent and athletic player who has one of the highest upsides in this class at his position. Orogbo had a massive junior season at Alief Hastings High School, registering triple-digit total tackles and nearly double-digit sacks.

Orogbo has great length with his height and wingspan that he utilizes well to fight off blocks and bring down opponents for negative plays in the backfield. He's also very quick with his first step off the line of scrimmage, allowing him to get off faster than a lot of opposing offensive linemen and blockers can get set.

Hand usage and hand placement are two tools Orogbo uses to his benefit to also get around opposing blockers as an outside pass rusher and to set the edge in run defense.

Orogbo uses his quickness well to slice his way through gaps to get in and blow up plays in the opponent's backfield in run defense. He's got a motor that doesn't stop and is faster than you would expect from a big 6-foot-4 edge rusher in the open field when chasing down the ball carrier.

Areas of improvement

Orogbo has a couple of areas of his game he needs to work on and develop before he's ready to be an everydown impact edge rusher in the SEC for the Longhorns. First and most important is for Orogbo to work on his fundamentals and pad-level approach.

He isn't taking full advantage of his athletic gifts and quickness off the line of scrimmage without taking the right angles and approach to beat opposing blockers in different situations in the pass rush and run defense.

Another key for Orogbo will be to hit the weight room to fill out his frame in the next 18 months or so. Texas will want Orogbo to add at least 15 or 20 pounds of muscle mass to get his weight up around the 250-pound mark.

Fit at Texas

Orogbo is the type of athlete and high-upside edge rusher with the tools you can't teach. If he fulfills his potential and adds the necessary weight to his frame in the next year or two, I fully expect Orogbo to be a multi-year impact starter at the buck spot for Texas's front seven in the SEC.

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