The Texas Longhorns have been looking to load up their 2025 recruiting class along the defensive line, and Kenny Baker has added another key piece to his d-line commitment list.
Joseph Mbatchou, a one-time Florida commitment, has committed to Texas. The Loganville (GA) Grayson product picked up a Texas offer in August and made his way to Austin September 14 to watch Texas play UTSA. That visit moved the needle enough for the Longhorns to eventually win Mbatchou over.
Originally from Cameroon, Mbatchou is still fairly new to the game of football. Checking in at 6-6 and 285 pounds, he has intriguing upside and college coaches have taken notice. Mbatchou committed to Florida on July 31 but picked up offers from programs like Texas, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, USC, Auburn and South Carolina in the month of August.
Mbatchou would wind up taking official visits to Texas, Florida, Michigan and Auburn. USC and Tennessee were also heavily involved.
“At 6-5 and 285 pounds, Mbatchou just began football in the spring and has since collected multiple offers from across the SEC. Schools around the country have been coming for the big-framed defensive lineman,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. “He committed to Florida in July and since then, he’s started his senior season at Loganville Grayson, where he has been explosive off the ball, being able to occupy multiple blockers in the middle of the Grayson defensive line and set up the people around him to make a ton of plays.
“Mbatchou is a bit of a projection, but with his size, with his quick first step, with his length and with what we've already seen through his senior season at Grayson, is all the potential to be a difference-maker on the interior of the defense line. We’ve also seen a lot of the traits that could also allow him to line up as a 4- or 5-technique. A lot of position versatility, potentially, for the Texas defensive staff.”
Mbatchou is a high school teammate of Texas commitment Nick Brooks, who gave the Longhorns a pledge in late August. Mbatchou is ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and checks in at No. 248 nationally. He becomes the Longhorns’ 24th commitment in the 2025 class.
