Longhorns add DL commitment from Duncanville DT Alex January

Coming out of his official visit to Texas last weekend, there was some thought from sources close to Alex January that the Duncanville standout might take a few weeks to process things before coming to a final decision. It turns out, January needed only about five days.

On Friday afternoon, January announced his commitment to Texas, putting an end to a recruitment that saw schools like LSU, Florida State, Texas Tech and others chase his commitment. A Longhorn legacy, January’s father, Michael, played linebacker for Texas in the mid-80s.

A true defensive tackle prospect, January becomes the Longhorns’ first defensive line commitment in the 2024 recruiting cycle. A standout force for the state championship Duncanville team last year, January had visited Texas multiple times in the spring, in addition to his June official visit, helping propel the Longhorns ahead of the rest of the pack.

“I like it. It’s not that far from home,” said January after a spring visit to UT. “My brother (also a Texas student) is always coming back so I’d be able to see my family quite a bit. And my family went here.”

LSU made things interesting due to some family ties to the state of Louisiana – January’s parents are both from the state – but in the end, the ties to the Texas program, combined with the relationships with Bo Davis and the UT staff, were enough to move the Longhorns out in front for good.

The 6-5, 320-pound January held around 30 scholarship offers before his commitment to Texas. Auburn, Georgia, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Southern Cal were among the programs that had extended offers.

A three-star prospect, January ranks No. 72 in the state of Texas by Rivals.com. He becomes the Longhorns’ ninth commitment overall.