Longhorns land commitment from Rivals250 OL Cole Hutson

Texas Longhorn fans finally got an answer to the often-asked question of when Texas will start landing some offensive line recruits.

After struggling with offensive line recruiting last year under former coach Herb Hand, things have been steadily moving forward with this year’s offensive line group … just not at the pace Texas fans wanted. That began to change on Friday when Frisco offensive lineman Cole Hutson announced that he had given Texas a verbal commitment.

The 6-5, 315-pound Hutson gives new Texas offensive line coach Kyle Flood his first big recruiting win while at Texas. Hutson chose the Longhorns over a final group that also included Texas A&M and Oklahoma, and he’s the Longhorns’ first offensive line commitment in the 2022 class.

Hutson had secured close to 20 scholarship offers over the course of his recruitment, but Texas was always a team that was in high standing with the Rivals250 member. Hutson would take an unofficial visit to Texas in early-June and followed that up with an official visit the weekend of June 11. He would later take official visits to both Oklahoma and Texas A&M, but it was the Longhorns that were left standing when the dust settled.

Hutson had been offered by the previous Texas staff and in February, shortly after Flood and new Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian got to Austin, he was re-offered by the current staff. From that point on, the Longhorns were considered a main contender for his commitment. Texas’ recruiting pitch was a combination of keeping Hutson home to play for the state’s flagship university, and Flood’s history of developing offensive line talent.

“One, I get to stay home. Who doesn't want to go to Texas? That's what they tell me, that every Texas kid, that's their dream. So it's really cool, especially them coming from Alabama and the background they have,” Hutson said earlier this spring. “And what they've done in the past is definitely really cool for me to see how they can progress me. I mean, they've done it before so I know they can do it. … That's what I really like about the program.”

Hutson ranks No. 212 on the Rivals 250 and is ranked as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com.