The new Texas staff has placed an emphasis on special teams and on Tuesday morning, the Longhorns added yet another key piece to that part of their football team. A little more than one week after picking up a pledge from deep snapper Lance St. Louis, Texas once again bolstered its special team with a commitment from kicker Will Stone.
Stone, out of Regents School of Austin, picked up a Texas offer on Monday night during a phone call with Steve Sarkisian. He actually gave the Longhorns a commitment on that call, but waited until Tuesday morning to announce it formally to allow himself some time to inform family and the other coaches that had been recruiting him.
“I thought it was probably down to Texas and Michigan State a few days ago. Then when coach Sarkisian offered, after I thought about it, it was a no brainer,” Stone said.
Texas has had tremendous success with Austin-area kickers, including current starter Cameron Dicker and now-NFL star Justin Tucker. Stone is hopeful he can carry on that tradition.
“Ever since I grew up, (playing for Texas) was huge deal. I have pictures of me as a little kid in my Longhorns gear going to games,” Stone said. “It feels like a dream come true. Ever since I set that goal to go play college ball, I never thought the Longhorns as being one of those places. After a lot of work, it’s a dream come true.
“It’s amazing. Words can’t really describe how honored I am to have an opportunity to play for a place like the University of Texas. If you’re competing at a national level, there’s no place you can go higher to compete with best of the best. The name Texas speaks for itself.”
Stone had a private work-out for the Texas coaches, including special teams coordinator Jeff Banks, last week. He took an official visit to Michigan State last weekend and was strongly considering the Spartans, but when he got the call from Texas it was impossible for him to pass up.
“Coach Sark called and I had just finished kicking. He asked, ‘Did you miss any?’ I told him no and he said ‘Good, because we’re going to offer you a full scholarship,” Stone said.
Stone plans to talk to Banks to set up his Texas official visit, either for this month or possibly for sometime in the fall. When he arrives on campus at Texas, he should walk into a fairly young depth chart that’s open for competition, and Stone said he’ll be ready for the challenge.
“I can’t wait to be a part of the program. Coming in, you have to have the mindset that you’re going to beat out whoever is there,” he said. “A lot of people think when you commit, the work is over. But the work is just started. The grind is going to get harder. I’m up for it.”
