Cliff-notes: The Longhorns picked up its 17th commitment for the 2018 recruiting class on Tuesday afternoon when Spring DeKaney tight end Malcolm Epps committed to Tom Herman and Co.
Rankings: Epps is rated as a 5.8 four-star prospect by Rivals.com and is currently rated as the No.12 tight end in the nation, the No.250 player overall nationally and the No.27 overall prospect in Texas. Epps is also rated as the No.15 overall prospect in the state of Texas in the current Lone Star Recruiting rankings. Epps is ranked as the No.146 prospect nationally by ESPN and the No.180 overall prospect in the 24/7 composite rankings.
Key Offers: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M and UCLA.
Evaluation: The state of Texas hasn't produced a high volume of elite tight end prospects in the last decade or so, but things are a little different in the Class of 2017 and the commitment of Epps on Tuesday allows the Longhorns to tap into the group of rare unicorns that are available. The 6-6, 225-pound Epps is a plus-athlete who happens to possess the kind of natural pass-catching skills that could make him a nightmare to deal with for opposing defenses. While there are consistency issues that Epps needs to improve on, he brings a high catch-radius to the table and has displayed the kind of ball skills inside of that long, lean frame to project as a high-level starter in time.
After a dominating last month at the Mike Vick V7 Playmakers Showcase in Stafford, here's what Rivals.com recruiting analyst Nick Krueger said about his performance:
"Epps won the camp’s King of Texas MVP award and had a dominant day as one of the most physically impressive prospects at the event. He showed a little more exuberance in his route-running and looked as natural as ever reaching out to catch the ball with his hands. His length was often too much for defenders to try to overcome and he turned in one of the best performances Rivals has seen from him this offseason."
Why it matters: We're talking about a Top 15-25 player in the state of Texas at a position that produces very few elite prospects inside state borders these days. On top of that, he's yet another standout from the Houston area, which is the most important recruiting battleground in the state of Texas for 2018. The Longhorns are suddenly at 17 commitments for the 2018 class and the most recent pledge fits a huge need in the Tom Herman offense.
Enjoy: Enjoy these highlights of Epps from his Junior season.
Key Offers: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M and UCLA.
Evaluation: The state of Texas hasn't produced a high volume of elite tight end prospects in the last decade or so, but things are a little different in the Class of 2017 and the commitment of Epps on Tuesday allows the Longhorns to tap into the group of rare unicorns that are available. The 6-6, 225-pound Epps is a plus-athlete who happens to possess the kind of natural pass-catching skills that could make him a nightmare to deal with for opposing defenses. While there are consistency issues that Epps needs to improve on, he brings a high catch-radius to the table and has displayed the kind of ball skills inside of that long, lean frame to project as a high-level starter in time.
After a dominating last month at the Mike Vick V7 Playmakers Showcase in Stafford, here's what Rivals.com recruiting analyst Nick Krueger said about his performance:
"Epps won the camp’s King of Texas MVP award and had a dominant day as one of the most physically impressive prospects at the event. He showed a little more exuberance in his route-running and looked as natural as ever reaching out to catch the ball with his hands. His length was often too much for defenders to try to overcome and he turned in one of the best performances Rivals has seen from him this offseason."
Why it matters: We're talking about a Top 15-25 player in the state of Texas at a position that produces very few elite prospects inside state borders these days. On top of that, he's yet another standout from the Houston area, which is the most important recruiting battleground in the state of Texas for 2018. The Longhorns are suddenly at 17 commitments for the 2018 class and the most recent pledge fits a huge need in the Tom Herman offense.
Enjoy: Enjoy these highlights of Epps from his Junior season.
