Horns land another huge commitment

For the second straight day, the Texas Longhorns have picked up a huge commitment in the 2017 class. And for the second straight day, it's a pledge out of the talent-rich region of East Texas.

Texarkana Liberty-Eylau defensive end Lagaryonn Carson, one of the top overall prospects in the state of Texas, gave Texas a commitment on Thursday, becoming the fourth member of the Longhorns' 2017 recruiting class.

"He did commit," said Liberty-Eylau head coach Steve Wells. "I think it's been a process where Texas was one of the first ones on him, really got the ball rolling with offering him.

"Coach (Jeff) Traylor and coach (Charlie) Strong really liked him, were the first ones to give him a bona fide offer. It kind of flooded in from there. I think that was a big reason behind him feeling wanted there and feeling comfortable there."

Carson held early offers from numerous schools, including Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Baylor, Oklahoma and Tennessee. He's ranked as the nation's fourth-best strongside defensive end and checks in at No. 6 on the 2017 Lone Star Recruiting Top 100.

"He's got it all. He's a big kid, about 6-4 or 6-5 and up to about 285 pounds and he can run. That's always a god thing," Wells said. "Plus he has a motor on him. The biggest thing and the fact that makes him great - when he goes, it's hard to block him. He makes big plays for us. Last week, he had 3 sacks in our district opener that were big in third and fourth quarter."

Yesterday, Texas picked up a key commitment from tight end Major Tennison, who has built up a very good relationship with UT assistant coach Jeff Traylor and head coach Charlie Strong. Those two coaches were instrumental in the pick-up of Carson as well.

"The reason he committed was he really appreciates the fact that Charlie strong, the Texas Longhorns and coach Traylor were the first ones to give him the opportunity," Wells said. "He now has a place to call home, which is the University of Texas."

The decision to commit early wasn't one that Carson took lightly. The Rivals250 member told Orangebloods.com after Texas' summer camp in late July that Texas was "at the top" of his list, and recently Carson had been thinking about making a decision. After talking to Jeff Traylor and Charlie Strong on Thursday, Carson decided he was ready to be a Longhorn.

"I've been talking to him about the fact that he needs to commit somewhere, anywhere," Wells said. "It's smart for him, kind of an insurance policy. He's been weighing his options and has been talking about committing and today was the day."

Carson becomes the Longhorns' fourth pledge for the 2017 class, joining QB Sam Ehlinger, WR Damion Miller and TE Tennison.

"He's a big powerful defensive end. He ha a frame that he can be versatile enough to play inside as well, but he's a playmaker at strongside defensive end," said Rivals.com regional recruiting analyst Jason Howell. "He's an explosive kid with high-end potential."