Five-star defensive tackle Marvin Wilson will be heading to Orlando for the Under Armour All-American Game in two weeks, and the Houston Episcopal product plans to announce a top five while in the Sunshine State.
The Texas Longhorns have been a program that’s been on Wilson’s radar for the better part of two years, and while the Longhorns aren’t exactly on the forefront of Wilson’s mind at this point, the door hasn’t been completely shut on Texas.
“Texas is in the mix right now. With the new coaching staff there, I’m waiting to see how they reach out to me, see how they finish up with their recruiting class, see who they land in January,” Wilson said.
The Longhorns are on Wilson’s radar, but he admits Texas is giving chase to some other schools.
“They have to make up a lot of ground. Since they got there, I haven’t heard from them a lot. They’re showing a little interest but not much. If they come in really hard in January, me being an in-state guy who loves Texas a lot, they may make a big push,” Wilson said.
Wilson will name his five favorites during Under Armour week, and schools like LSU, Southern Cal and Ohio State have a good chance of figuring into the mix. The 6-4, 320-pound Wilson said he’s still put the finishing touches on his list.
“It’s still a work in progress. I’ve got two or three schools in there right now but I’m trying to get the last couple in there,” Wilson said. “It’s a really hard process for me but I want to make sure I have all options open.”
LSU is a school many insiders believe may have the inside track at Wilson’s commitment. The recent promotion of Ed Orgeron to head coach has had a positive impact on the Tigers’ chances.
“It impacted them a whole lot for me, especially with (Ed Orgeron). From the start, my sophomore year, he’s been recruiting me hard,” Wilson said. “Now he’s the head coach. They have Pete Jenkins and those are two d-line gurus. So that speaks really well for them.”
For the Longhorns, there’s ground to make up, and if it’s going to happen Wilson said it needs to start with the UT coaches making a strong recruiting push.
“They would just have to show that they really want me,” Wilson said. “I haven’t heard from them a lot. It seems like there’s a little gap – do they want me here, do they not? They loved me when Charlie (Strong) was there, now I have to see what these guys want to do.”
The good news for Texas … Wilson said if the UT coaches want him to come in for a visit to get better acquainted with the new staff, there’s a good chance he’ll make a trip up to Austin for a quick visit.
“Probably, they’ll get an unofficial. Right now I’m still debating for my last two official visits. It would probably be an unofficial visit if I came up to Austin,” Wilson said.
Wilson is the nation’s No. 1-ranked defensive tackle and the No. 2-ranked prospect overall.
