As if there was any doubt before, it’s safe to now say that the Texas Longhorns are on a recruiting roll.
After picking up two commitments last week from Rivals100 linebacker Prince Dorbah and top 2021 tight end Lake McRee, Texas secured a huge pledge on Wednesday night from Rivals100 defensive lineman Vernon Broughton.
The Longhorn staff is at it again.
Defensive end Van Fillinger announced moments ago that he too has added his name to the Texas commitment list. Fillinger, out of Draper (UT) Corner Canyon, went to Twitter to deliver the news.
The 6-4, 255-pound Fillinger visited Texas twice this summer, once as a spectator for a UT mini-camp and once for the Heat Wave pool party. He made it clear when Texas offered him on his first visit that the Longhorns were a team that was high on his list. The Texas staff had initially reached out to Fillinger to see if he was interested in visiting, and as soon as he got the correspondence he booked his flight to Austin for his first visit.
“They thought I was going to stay in state, but I’m not. As soon as they texted me I set (the visit) up,” Fillinger said.
The Longhorns made a strong overall impression on Fillinger’s visit, from the football aspect, the overall environment of the University of Texas and the city of Austin itself.
“I love the state. The state of Texas is a really good place. It’s a good environment, great atmosphere. I love the culture, the hard work,” Fillinger said. “People at Texas are really genuine. They seem like they’re really hard working which is what I like.”
When Texas offered Fillinger, he was told it was not for a specific spot along the defensive lineman. Fillinger only recently turned 17, so at 255 pounds he could be a guy who plays at defensive end or eventually slides inside.
"When I've seen Fillinger in person I've been most impressed by his versatility, athletic ability and especially his non-stop mentality. He's going to go after it every single rep in every single practice every time he's on the field,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Adam Gorney. “I like his attitude and his toughness and I think he could be a really nice addition to this Texas defensive line."
A three-star prospect, Fillinger becomes the Longhorns’ 10th commitment of the 2020 class. He’s Texas’ second defensive line commitment, joining Broughton. Fillinger’s commitment is another feather in the cap for Texas defensive line coach Oscar Giles, who was also the lead recruiter on Broughton and Dorbah.
Fillinger held offers from the likes of LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.
"It's amazing the job Texas and many other programs are doing in the West - and it's really making the Pac-12 a lesser conference because of it. The Longhorns went into Arizona and dominated last cycle, they're always involved in California and now in Utah to get one of the state's top players,” Gorney said. “With USC struggling and other conference teams without a major national presence, a big-time program like Texas could have a field day in the West - and that's exactly what's happening."
