Cliff-notes: Texas picked up its 15th pledge of the 2019 class when offensive lineman Javonne Shepherd announced on Twitter that he had committed to Texas. Shepherd had been favoring UT for a while but made it official at 5 p.m. on Sunday night.
Rankings: Shepherd is a four-star prospect and is the No. 29-ranked offensive tackle in the nation. He’s ranked No. 31 in the state by Rivals.com and is No. 29 on the LSR Top 100.
Key Offers: Shepherd held more than 20 offers from the likes of Texas A&M, OU, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Southern Cal, Nebraska, Oregon and TCU, to name a few.
Evaluation: This is a big-time pick-up for Texas and for new offensive line coach Herb Hand. Shepherd’s offer list speaks for itself and you can make a case that his upside is right up there with just about any prospect in the state. Shepherd does need to tighten up his body and trim some bad weight, but he is a strong physical presence and moves very well for his size. With Tyler Johnson already in the fold, Shepherd could be a potential fixture at right tackle for Texas or could possibly slide inside, depending on what his body does over the next couple years. Shepherd told me on Sunday he’s 6-7 and 325 but moves in space like a player much smaller than that. Shepherd is still a bit raw in pas protection but has an NFL frame and his athleticism will allow him to potentially develop into an elite player at the collegiate level.
Why it matters: This one is huge because Texas needs to load up on elite talent along the offensive line, but it carries added significance because it’s a direct head-to-head win over Texas A&M. There was a time early in Shepherd’s recruitment when most had him pegged for College Station, but Herb Hand has done a great job in this one and won Shepherd over once Shepherd made a couple visits to the UT campus. The recruiting landscape in the state of Texas is very competitive right now, and the Longhorns secured a big recruiting victory on Sunday.
