For Santana Wilson, committing to Texas was an easy decision

Texas has had a very successful recruiting run over the last month, with 12 commitments coming in about a three-week span from mid-June through the first week of July. It was defensive back Santana Wilson who kicked things off, giving the Longhorns a pledge on June 17, midway through his UT official visit.

For Wilson, a cornerback out of Arizona, it was a pretty easy decision. The Scottsdale Desert Mountain standout had built strong relations with the UT staff ever since picking up his Texas offer, and his father, former NFL All-Pro safety Adrian Wilson, is familiar with some members of the Texas coaching staff. Add it all up, and Wilson was able to make a quick decision once he arrived in Austin for his weekend official visit.

"Basically I was thinking about it. They’re a really good defensive school. Just being there with that, my dad having connections with Texas, it kind of led me to commit there,” Wilson said. “My dad knows a bunch of the coaches up there. He’s known coach (Steve Sarkisian) for a long time and coach (Terry Joseph). I was just really comfortable up there on the campus.”

The 6-1, 180-pound Wilson, who picked Texas over a group of finalists that included Arizona State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Washington, Miami, Tennessee and Baylor. With his commitment now in the rearview mirror, Wilson said it’s a weight off his shoulders not having to invest so much time in the recruiting game.

“It definitely feels great just knowing I don’t have to talk to other coaches, can just talk to my main coaches,” Wilson said. “I’m not feeling that stress that you usually feel going through recruiting. It feels nice having one school.”

Less than one week after Wilson committed, Texas added another Arizona product with a commitment from running back Christian Clark. Those two had talked about their plans to commit during their official visits and Wilson said he also talked to tight end Jordan Washington about his plans to pledge to Texas. All three are now on the UT commitment list.

With good length and athleticism, Wilson is an intriguing prospect on the outside. He feels his ability to play tight at the line of scrimmage is something that will help him at the next level.

“I’m a press corner, very physical. I’m just a man-on-man type of corner,” Wilson said. “If I see a wide receiver on my side of the field, I’ll shut him down for the game. I just like being aggressive and physical.”

Wilson plans to be back in Austin on September 2 for the Rice game. Since committing, one month ago, his only focus is on building his bond with the UT staff.

“I haven’t really been talking to coaches other than my coaches, coach (Joseph) and coach (Sarkisian). I talk to those guys every day, making sure we have a really nice relationship,” Wilson said. “We’re making sure we’re all close, having fun, then when football it comes to hard work.”