BREAKING: Texas Longhorns Confirms 5 star Commitment

With the 2024 season fast approaching, the Texas Longhorns extended two new offers at the defensive tackle position on Wednesday after evaluations: one to Caleb Bell from Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton and the other to Joseph Mbatchou from Loganville (Ga.). However, both prospects are currently committed elsewhere—Bell committed to the Arkansas Razorbacks in June, while Mbatchou joined the Florida Gators class in late July.

A significant factor in these offers is the deep ties that Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker has to the state of Georgia. Baker, a Georgia native, played at Gardner-Webb before coaching at his alma mater and Mercer, as well as regional stints at UT-Chattanooga and Western Kentucky. He also spent a season as an assistant defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins. These connections are especially important as Texas moves to the SEC, with hopes that Baker’s familiarity with Georgia could help expand the Longhorns’ recruiting footprint, particularly for defensive tackles.

One strategy Baker might employ is to emphasize the stability of the Texas coaching staff to Bell and Mbatchou. Both Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and Florida head coach Billy Napier are entering the season on the hot seat, which could create opportunities to flip one or both recruits later in the cycle if those programs struggle.

Though Bell and Mbatchou are consensus three-star prospects and not considered high-level recruits—Mbatchou, for instance, is ranked outside the top 1,200 prospects and the top 130 defensive linemen according to the 247Sports Composite rankings—they do possess good size for their position, with Bell standing at 6’3″ and 270 pounds, and Mbatchou at 6’4.5″ and 275 pounds. Both are committed to Power Four programs, underscoring their potential.

After a great talk with @CoachK_Baker, I'm Blessed To Recieve A Offer From The University of Texas. @TexasFootball @CoachSB_4theG @CoachCarswell @CoachTuftsJr @On3Recruits @JeremyO_Johnson @RecruitGeorgia pic.twitter.com/LcnZiy9eVK

— Joseph Mbatchou (@JoeMbatchou) August 15, 2024

While Baker’s primary goal remains flipping higher-ranked prospects, as he did when Sharma switched his commitment from Oregon to Texas, the Longhorns also have an urgent need to fill spots on the defensive line.