Chevoski Collins commits to Texas

Livingston ATH Chevoski Collins has been one of the state of Texas' most sought-after recruits in the 2013 class, but he's also been one of the hardest to track.

At one time, Collins was an interviewers dream, offering regular updates on his recruitment via the telephone and social media. But as things picked up, beginning in the summer, the versatile playmaker decided to play things a little closer to the vest and he stepped away from the spotlight.

More recently, Collins has again had his name in the headlines as he neared a decision. On Monday morning, at Livingston High School, the 5-11, 185-pound Collins put an end to the suspense, letting the college football world know that he was committing to the Texas Longhorns.

"It's been a long journey going through everything. All the schools I've been to I've seen a lot of things. I just felt like narrowing it down to my best fit and I'm ready to spend the next four years of my life at Texas," Collins said.

Collins chose Texas over a group of finalists that included Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU and Baylor. In choosing the Longhorns, he became Texas' 15th commitment of the 2013 recruiting class.

"When I went to UT I felt like family. It's close to home and my family can see me play," Collins said.

One of the state's more versatile athletes, Collins has been recruited by Texas to play defensive back, but he can do a little bit of everything on the football field. In fact, he made a strong showing at a Longhorn summer camp in 2011 as a wide receiver, which helped put him squarely on UT's radar.

Since that time, Texas has recruited Collins as an athlete, with the coaching staff telling him at a junior day visit in February that they were leaning towards bringing him in as a defensive back. Collins, who grew up following the Longhorn program, received his official offer from the Texas coaches in May, saying at that time "It was very exciting to have the University of Texas offer me."

Early in his recruitment, Collins expressed that he would prefer to stay on offense at the next level, where he's an explosive playmaker and a threat to score every time he touches the ball. More recently, he's come around to the idea of playing defensive back as more schools have talked to him about a college career on that side of the ball.

Collins took only one official visit, a trip to Oklahoma on September 21. He was hoping to make it in to the Longhorns' game against West Virginia last weekend but was unable to attend. Even without a recent visit, Collins just followed his heart and it led him to Texas.

"I knew, but I prayed about it and I woke up one morning and knew I wanted to be a Horn."

Collins ranks No. 44 on the 2013 Lone Star Recruiting Top 100.