The world today is much different than it was a week ago. Among other countless changes, sports are shut down and recruiting has been put on the back burner for the foreseeable future.
Before the NCAA put in recruiting restrictions last week, prohibiting visits with prospects on or off campus, Texas was able to host a handful of targets, including 2022 linebacker Justin Medlock. The standout from Manvel made his way to Austin with some teammates and before he left campus, Medlock picked up a Texas scholarship offer.
Overall, Medlock said the visit was a terrific experience.
“As soon as I walked through that door, everybody, the people handling the trip, made me feel at home instantly,” Medlock said. “The coaches were great. I talked to coach Herman for a bit before he had to go for a meeting. I talked to coach (Coleman) Hutzler. He’s really straight forward. He has high expectations for you but also cares about your growth as a person. It was all really good.”
During the visit, coach Hutzler pulled Medlock into his office. Tom Herman popped in, told him the coaches had watched Medlock’s film and liked what they saw, and a scholarship offer was extended.
Earlier this spring when OB talked to Medlock, it sounded like Oklahoma may have had a very early lead since the Sooners had offered at that time. Now, with Texas entering the race, Medlock said he’s keeping an open mind.
“It definitely resets things. Texas is doing a great job of recruiting. They’re definitely showing love,” Medlock said. “Really, there’s no clear cut top team right now. I just want to go somewhere I fit in.”
Prior to visiting Texas, Medlock had visited Oklahoma on February 1 and he made a stop at SMU last week. As for his time in Austin and his meeting coach Hutzler, Medlock said there’s a lot to like in UT’s new linebackers coach.
“It was really good. He’s a young coach, has a lot of energy, really relatable. You can talk to him outside of just coach and player,” Medlock said. “You can talk to him as a friend and mentor, that type of relationship.”
A 6-1, 200-pounder, Medlock has offers from the likes of Baylor, Houston, Nebraska, Oklahoma, SMU and Texas, among others. As a sophomore, Medlock recorded 117 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
“I feel like I bring everything to the table. You don’t get to see it a lot on my film, but my pass rush is good, man coverage, I feel very comfortable stepping in the slot and covering running backs, tight ends and even slot receivers,” Medlock said. “In the box, my tackling, I’m a sure tackler. I can fight off blocks, and my reaction to diagnose plays is good. I want to improve on everything – coverage, pass rush, strength. All my off seasons, I’ll be working on everything.”
