Photo courtesy of Evan Lewis - Texarkana Gazette
When Montrell Estell committed to Texas in late May, it caught a lot of people by surprise. Estell had always been pretty quiet about where he was leaning in the recruiting process, and the timing of his pledge kind of came out of the blue.
Once he committed, Estell said he was rock-solid with his decision, and the standout athlete from Hooks has not wavered since. Recently, he made his way to Austin for the Longhorns' Under the Lights camp, and that trip has helped solidify his commitment even more.
Key quote: "They kind of leave me alone," Estell said when asked if other schools continue to recruit him.
Of the ones who do still contact him, he said "Probably Alabama. I tell them thanks, if I visit I visit, but I don't plan on visiting. It's just Texas.
"It's solid. I'm not going to decommit or anything. I'm very solid. I'm ready to go."
Takeaways from the camp visit: Estell did not work out at the Under the Lights camp. Instead, he spent the night hanging out with the UT coaches, current players and a handful of other Longhorn commitments who were in attendance - guys like Kobe Boyce, Sam Ehlinger and Damion Miller.
"The coaches really and the facilities. That's what I liked the most," Estell said. "The coaches were all cool, they showed me around. They were really cool. All the players too. They were fun to be around."
Estell had been on campus previously, but didn't get a thorough tour of the facilities. This time, he was shown around by Jeff Traylor and really liked what he saw.
"Last time I saw it, didn't get to really see it. This time I got to see it up close and all that," Estell said.
Return visit planned: Estell said he will be back in Austin for the Longhorns' season-opener against Notre Dame, per Charlie Strong's request.
"I talked to coach Strong a lot (at the camp). We were just talking about the camp, how he's glad to see me. We were talking about the first football game when they play Notre Dame. He told me to come in and experience it."
Plans for a big senior season: Estell helped lead Hooks to a 9-2 record in 2015 but the Hornets were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Hooks began pre-season practices on Monday, and Estell is hoping the team can make a deeper playoff run in 2016.
"It was good," Estell said of day one. "I'm ready for tomorrow. Our goal is to go further in the playoffs, and play as a team more. Individually, I just want to get more interceptions and more touchdowns."
Estell is being recruited as a safety by the Longhorns. He does a little bit of everything at the high school level, and said he'll play some running back as a senior but will primarily focus on defense.
As a junior, Estell earned first-team all-state honors after recording 69 tackles and 6 interceptions, three that he took back for touchdowns. He added over 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense and special teams.
