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Horns add fourth commitment

After the Texas camp in June, Fort Worth All Saints fullback Daniel Gresham knew the Longhorns had a strong interest.
On the way back from the June 10 camp, Texas coaches contacted Fort Worth All Saints head coach Aaron Beck to let him know the UT staff would like to meet with Gresham and teammates Demetrius Knox and Kendall Adams. The meeting did not happen since the players had already left campus, but shortly after the camp coach Major Applewhite requested Gresham's transcript and let Gresham know Texas liked him as a fullback. Soon after, Gresham was approved for an offer.
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On Thursday, Texas decided to turn those 2014 approvals into official offers, and Gresham knew then he Texas was going to be hard to beat, putting the Longhorns at the top of his list.
By Mondaym, Gresham stated that he was "strongly" considering a commitment. By the time Tuesday arrived, he knew he was ready to become the fourth member of the Texas Longhorns' 2014 recruiting class.
"Yes, I just did," Gresham said confirming his decision to become a Longhorn. It was an announcement that was pretty well settled as soon as Gresham got the UT offer.
"As soon as I got the offer, I was extremely excited. They offered (Knox) at the same time. We had been talking abut it for about a week or so. Then I talked to my coach, coach Beck. He was like 'Demetrius, you have ton of offers. This could basically help with getting other people seen. You really can't go wrong with just waiting.' I talked to him, and he said UT was the first one to offer me and Alabama had called about me. But he said UT is an amazing place and you can't go wrong with committing there. Everyone doesn't take fullbacks, especially a school as prestigious as UT. So I talked about it, prayed about it and decided a couple days ago to commit."
Gresham talked to Major Applewhite about his decision on Monday and on Tuesday he put in a call to Applewhite and Mack Brown to make his decision official.
"It was crazy. Somebody as prestigious as Mack Brown, all the things he's done, it was amazing," Gresham said. "He was extremely cool. He seems like a good coach and I talked to him and told him I'm going to be a Longhorn, I'm ready to bring a national championship back to Texas."
Growing up in Louisville, Ky., Gresham was a fan of the Louisville Cardinals, but even then one of his biggest role models was Texas Longhorn great Earl Campbell. Even before he was offered by the Longhorns he had Texas high on his list of interest that also included the likes of Baylor, TCU and Louisville.
As he grew as a player, Gresham was often relegated to offensive line duty early on, but the 5-11, 226-pound Gresham knew in his heart he was a running back. He not only knew it but he worked hard to show it. Once he received his opportunity he did not let it go.
"It's so close to home. Everybody talked about how I'm not from Fort Worth, I'm from Kentucky. But my parents live here now, they're hard-working people and this is a blessing. I can have my friends and family come to my games," Gresham said. "It's amazing.
"The tipping point, I asked coach Applewhite before I committed if they offered me as a fullback only. He said 'No. Make sure watch what we do with running backs.' He said yes I'm going to block when I come, but he saw different things when he watched me - soft hands, good feet. I will block but I will also get caries and chances for catches."
In 2011, Gresham rushed for 584 yards and 10 TDs on 62 carries as a sophomore. He also contributed to the receiving game, recording 13 receptions for 66 yards while also helping on defense with 11 tackles.
Gresham joins a Longhorn class that also includes joins Abilene Cooper receiver Lorenzo Joe, San Antonio Brennan defensive end Derick Roberson and Aldine Eisenhower running back Donald Catalon.
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