“I felt complete. I feel like that’s a big step, big relief off my shoulders,” Blackwell said. “I haven’t been thinking about that too much. We’re in the playoffs, so I’ve been thinking about that.”
Blackwell had an impressive offer list that included schools like Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame when he chose the Longhorns. Once his pick was made, the speedy defender never looked back. A large part of that was the relationships he’d built with the Texas coaching staff, including position coach Coleman Hutzler.
“They were committed to me, so I was committed to them,” Blackwell said. “They kept that honor to me, always checked on me, they always wanted me there even though I couldn’t bet there (in person). They were always trying to strengthen our bond, even though we couldn’t see each other in person. That’s how much we’ve been on the phone.”
A speedy linebacker prospect who does a little bit of everything for Martin (he’ll line up in a traditional linebacker alignment, play some safety, play wide receiver and is on most of Martin’s special teams units), Blackwell said he enjoys being on the field in any way possible, and he wants to have that same type of impact when he gets to Texas.
“I feel like special teams play a huge part in the game, can change momentum. Field position is a huge deal in a game,” Blackwell said. “Plus you get to knock someone out running full speed.
“It’ll be the same thing (at Texas) that I do at my school right now. Not just defense. I’m athletic, feel they can move me around the defense, mess with offensive coordinators’ heads. It won’t be just me either. The other guys that are coming in are talented too.”
Blackwell will need to be on his A game this week with Martin set to face off with Southlake Carroll in the playoffs. Knocking off the Dragons is always a tough task, but Blackwell feels he and his teammates will be up for the challenge.
“I’m looking forward to it. It feels like our defense right now is going to do what we do, play how we play, that’s fast and physical,” Blackwell said.
With it being a bit of a tumultuous season for the Longhorns, both on the field and with rumors of coaching instability, it would have been understandable if Blackwell had kept a bit of an open mind through the recruiting process despite his early commitment. There was none of that. His ties to the UT program were too deep.
“I was going to sign regardless. At the end of the day, I really grew up around the Longhorns. Texas has really been in my household,” Blackwell said. “My brother was a big Texas longhorn fan. My grandmother lived in Austin, she was a Longhorn fan.”
Now that he’s officially a member of the Texas class, Blackwell said he’s going to work on bringing some of his Martin teammates with him to UT, including 2022 defensive end Ernest Cooper and 2022 linebacker Trevell Johnson, who both hold Texas offers.
“I talk up Texas to them. I’ve got to,” Blackwell said.
