Late-night surprise! Longhorns land commit from OL Neto Umeozulu
When discussing the recruitment of offensive lineman Neto Umeozulu on Orangebloods over the course of the last year, words like “wildcard” or “unexpected” were often used for a prospect that did a great job of keeping everyone guessing. The standout from Allen did a great job of keeping everyone guessing on his intentions, and it was hard to even tell which schools were seriously in the running.
We got our answer moments ago, and it’s good news for the Longhorns with Umeozulu announcing that he has given Texas a verbal commitment. Umeozulu’s pledge gives Texas its third straight day with an offensive line commitment, joining Kelvin Banks on Saturday and Cam Williams on Sunday.
Umeozulu’s commitment comes on the heels of a visit to Oklahoma last weekend that saw some people in Norman gain confidence in the Sooners’ standing. But true to his form, Umeozulu was a terrific poker player who had other intentions.
At 6-5 and 295 pounds, Umeozulu is a Rivals250 member and a four-star prospect. He becomes the Longhorns’ fifth offensive line commitment, joining Banks, Williams, Cole Hutson and Connor Robertson. He’s the Longhorns 23rd commitment overall in the 2022 class.
“An intriguing four-star offensive lineman, Neto Umeozulu is a raw, high-upside mauler that blocks well in space and can overpower defenders in 1-on-1 situations,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. “The Allen product had an injury-ridden senior season, but continued to shine with quick feet and outstanding mobility for a 6-foot-5, 290-pounder. Umeozulu has overwhelming power and moves well across the formation, and could develop into a stellar offensive lineman capable of playing multiple positions up front for Texas. He’s exceedingly physical and plays with a chip on his shoulder.”
Umeozulu rarely did media interviews, but he told Orangebloods early in the recruiting process that the Longhorns were a serious contender in his recruitment and there were a variety of factors that piqued his interest about Texas, including UT’s academic reputation.
“I want to study business. I know McCombs is a really good school,” Umeozulu said. “Everybody knows Austin, and it’s only a couple hours away. That aspect is something to consider.”
Retooling the offensive line was a huge priority for the Texas staff in this class, and offensive line coach Kyle Flood and the rest of the staff have done a masterful job so far. With five talented prospects already in the fold, the Texas coaches continue to pursue other top talents, including five-star talent Devon Campbell.
“They all talk to me consistently. They just say how much they really want me, show me a lot of love,” Umeozulu said of the UT staff. “I feel the vibe, they say saying in state, building it up front. They’re talking about how they want to build something up front, want to start it with a good recruiting class up front.
Umeozulu’s younger brother, Zina Umeozulu, is a 2024 defensive end who also holds an offer from the Longhorns.