Cliffs Notes: The Longhorns took advantage of the Betrayal of Lincoln Riley in Norman on Sunday by swooping in and stealing one of the top defensive pieces from the Oklahoma 2022 recruiting class, as Lubbock Cooper linebacker Kobie McKenzie committed to Steve Sarkisian and Co.
Rankings: Rivals currently McKenzie ranked as a mid four-star prospect, the No. 142 overall prospect in the country, the No.4 inside linebacker and the No.20 overall prospect in the state of Texas. 247 currently has him rated as a mid four-star prospect, the No.161 overall player in the nation and the No.27 overall prospect in Texas, while ESPN has him ranked as a four-star and the No.91 overall prospect in the country.
Key Offers: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, USC, Florida State, Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech
Evaluation: There's really not anyone else in the state quite like the 6-3, 225-pound McKenzie, who oozes the look of an SEC-style linebacker because of full-grown man size as a prospect. Make no mistake about it, McKenzie is definitely the first guy off the bus for Lubbock Cooper and likely has been since his sophomore season. What's great about him is that he combined that impressive frame with a powerhouse game as an interior linebacker prospect. Possessing the speed and athleticism to play sideline to sideline, the physical traits needed to be an impact player in college and potentially a Sunday player are there. Most of his success as a high school player comes from running sideline to sideline and basically wildin' all over the field. He's a fun dude to watch play football. Does he have the natural instincts to stay inside? That's almost always an impossible question to answer with a player at this level. Will he potentially emerge as a possible threat at the edge or even Buck positions? It's not outside the realm of possibilities at all. The bottom line is that he's a very physically enticing player when projecting to the next level and he's actually a really good football player and not just a guy who thrives in a camp setting.
Former Texas player he reminds me of: Steve Edmond
Why it matters: Well, let us count the reasons. First, he's talented enough to potentially play quite a bit as a true freshman for the Longhorns. There's probably as good of a chance that he's starting by the end of next November than anyone else in this class on the defensive side of the ball. The fact that he represented one of the best pieces of the Oklahoma 2022 recruiting class from the Lone Star State and is now wearing burnt orange is just a cherry on top of the sundae. There aren't many linebackers in the state of Texas that stand out from the pack, but McKenzie is one of the two available (along with Harold Perkins) that do.
Enjoy his senior highlights...
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