1/25/2021 football Edit

DE Garfield Lawrence talks UT visit, upcoming decision

Garfield Lawrence hopes to decide on either Texas or Houston this week.

Jason Suchomel • Orangebloods

Senior Editor

National Signing Day is a little more than a week away, and while most top prospects came off the board during the early signing period in December, there are still a number of players who have yet to make their final decisions. Defensive end Garfield Lawrence is one of those players who is still trying to sort out his options, but that could change soon, with the Tyler Legacy standout hoping to have a final decision this week.

A one-time Kansas commitment, Lawrence made his way to Austin on Saturday to get a feel for the UT campus. He’ll hit Houston on Monday and said these visits will be key in his upcoming decision.

“My coach set those up. He was like ‘You need to see the school, your top schools before you’re going to make a decision,’” Lawrence said. “I’m going to spend the next four or five years there so I need to see it. I had a lot of fun.”

While in Austin, Lawrence connected with Texas freshmen Charles Wright and Gunnar Helm. Those two showed him around campus and gave him some insight on the Texas program.

“They took me around the school, gave me the inside view. They love it there,” Lawrence said. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s really chill.”

With the Houston visit on the schedule for Monday, Lawrence said he’s down to the Longhorns and Cougars. After Saturday’s trip to Austin, Texas is in the driver’s seat.

“(Texas is) my top school right no. It’s between Houston and Texas right now. I loved the visit to Texas. I love how close everything is, how big the school is. It was really overwhelming. As soon as I got out of the car, my legs were shaking. I’ve never been to a university that big.”

Originally, Garfield had hoped to have a final decision made on Monday. He plans to now push that back a few days to give him more time to process the trips to Texas and Houston.

“It looks like I probably won’t have (a decision) until Friday. Signing day is right around the corner, so I have to make my final decision for the next four or five years. I feel like I should take a little time and wait until Friday.”