Coming into the weekend, Belton offensive lineman Zach Shackelford knew he'd have a tough decision to make.
A longtime Kansas State commitment, Shackelford took an official visit to Texas over the weekend. As an early enrollee who will be making his way to college on Monday, Shackelford knew he'd have to buckle down and make a final decision sometime on Sunday afternoon.
The moment has come, and it's good news for the Longhorns.
Shackelford announced on Twitter moments ago that he has committed to Texas, becoming the Longhorns' 14th commitment in the 2016 class. He becomes UT's fourth offensive line pledge, joining Denzel Okafor, Tope Imade and Jean Delance.
"This was one of the hardest decisions of my life, and it took countless hours of thinking, talking and praying to make the choice that is best for me and my future," Shackelford said in a statement. "I would like to announce that I have committed to The University of Texas! I want to help bring the university back to the top!"
In Shackelford, new Texas offensive line coach Matt Mattox gets a player who could fill a big void along the UT offensive line. Texas has only one center on its roster (Terrell Cuney), and he has yet to play a down of football in college. Shackelford has not played center before, but he's being brought in with the idea that he'll be able to contribute at that position.
"(Mattox) said he'd probably try me at center. I think that would be pretty cool," Shackelford told Orangebloods.com last week. "I've always kind of thought about the idea of playing center. You're kind of the quarterback of the offensive line, so I've always thought that would be pretty cool. He said I could play guard too if it didn't work out."
At 6-4 and 295 pounds, Shackelford has terrific size and he plays with a mean streak on the field. Mattox had recruited him while he was coaching at Tulsa, so the two had a solid relationship prior to this weekend. After spending 48 hours in Austin, it was enough to seal the deal for the Longhorns.
A longtime Kansas State commitment, Shackelford took an official visit to Texas over the weekend. As an early enrollee who will be making his way to college on Monday, Shackelford knew he'd have to buckle down and make a final decision sometime on Sunday afternoon.
The moment has come, and it's good news for the Longhorns.
Shackelford announced on Twitter moments ago that he has committed to Texas, becoming the Longhorns' 14th commitment in the 2016 class. He becomes UT's fourth offensive line pledge, joining Denzel Okafor, Tope Imade and Jean Delance.
"This was one of the hardest decisions of my life, and it took countless hours of thinking, talking and praying to make the choice that is best for me and my future," Shackelford said in a statement. "I would like to announce that I have committed to The University of Texas! I want to help bring the university back to the top!"
In Shackelford, new Texas offensive line coach Matt Mattox gets a player who could fill a big void along the UT offensive line. Texas has only one center on its roster (Terrell Cuney), and he has yet to play a down of football in college. Shackelford has not played center before, but he's being brought in with the idea that he'll be able to contribute at that position.
"(Mattox) said he'd probably try me at center. I think that would be pretty cool," Shackelford told Orangebloods.com last week. "I've always kind of thought about the idea of playing center. You're kind of the quarterback of the offensive line, so I've always thought that would be pretty cool. He said I could play guard too if it didn't work out."
At 6-4 and 295 pounds, Shackelford has terrific size and he plays with a mean streak on the field. Mattox had recruited him while he was coaching at Tulsa, so the two had a solid relationship prior to this weekend. After spending 48 hours in Austin, it was enough to seal the deal for the Longhorns.
