Aaron Bryant remains locked in, ready to begin his next chapter in January

Defensive tackle Aaron Bryant has been committed to the Texas Longhorns since August. Despite that pledge, other schools have continued to try to recruit the Southaven (MS) product. Those schools can keep trying to get him to keep an open mind but Bryant has a message for them … it’s not going to work.

“There are still schools trying to recruit me. I don’t really even answer them. Tennessee calls all the time, Mississippi State texts all the time but I don’t answer. LSU was hitting me up before coach O got fired but I don’t answer. Auburn does too but I’m locked in.”

The 6-4, 295-pound Bryant plans to sign with Texas in December and he’ll be an early enrollee for the Longhorns in January. With Texas needing more production from its defensive front in the way of creating pressure in opponents’ backfields, Bryant is hoping by enrolling early he’ll have a chance of contributing right away.

“I feel like I can play anywhere. I played a little bit on the edge. We play a three-man front, so I played on the edge some,” Bryant said. “Coach (Bo) Davis talks to me about (playing early) a lot. He just says he wishes we could have had you this week. I’d love that, of course. That would be a great thing to do. I love football, so it would be a great opportunity for me.”

In a couple weeks, Bryant will take part in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game, and then he’ll turn his attention towards signing with Texas on December 15. He had an in-home visit with the Texas staff this week.

A former offensive lineman up until his junior year, Bryant is still finding ways to improve as a defensive lineman and feels he made strides this fall that will help him once he gets to Austin.

“I feel like I’ve gotten better as a pass rusher. I feel like I’ve gotten more football smart,” he said. “I learned how to play the defensive tackle position much better. Last year was my first year playing d-tackle, so I was pretty raw. This year, I just knew what to do, made a lot more plays.”

With Texas having some on-field struggles in Sarkisian’s first season in Austin, the Longhorns have had to deal with some attrition to their recruiting class. None of that was ever a concern with Bryant.

“I realized going in, it’s coach Sark’s first year, he doesn’t have his recruits. We’ll be his first class,” Bryant said. “I understood this might be a difficult year. I committed knowing it might be a difficult year. Obviously I hoped it would go better, but I’m ready to get to work.”

With the early signing window a couple weeks away and Bryant’s arrival in Austin about six weeks away, he’s understandably feeling a mix of emotions that includes excitement and nervousness at the same time.

“It’s really a mix of things. I’m excited to get to work. It’s a great opportunity for me,” Bryant said. “It’s the end of a journey turning into a new one. It’s exciting to start the journey, but it’s going to be different. It’s going to be different being away from home.”