Longhorns land commitment from Rivals250 wide receiver Marcus Washington
A successful recruiting week for Texas just got even better. Earlier this week, the Longhorns picked up a commitment from athlete Peyton Powell, and on Friday night they added another pledge, this time from Rivals250 wide receiver Marcus Washington.
Washington, out of St. Louis Trinity Catholic, announced moments ago that he has chosen the Longhorns over a final grouping that included Missouri, Nebraska and Ohio State.
The 6-2, 195-pound Washington is a player who has been on Texas’ recruiting radar for nearly a year, but things really began to heat up after Washington took an official visit to Texas in September. Following that visit, Texas began to surge for the talented pass-catcher, and Washington said he could envision himself playing in the Texas offense.
“I’ve built relationships there. Texas, they treated me like family,” Washington said. “Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson, I can see myself playing in that role. I get along with the coaches really well, Drew Mehringer, Bryan Carrington, Tom Herman. That’s who I talk to the most.”
Early in the process, most had Washington pegged to commit to Ohio State or Missouri. Texas did a good job of chipping away and earning Washington’s trust, with Carrington and Mehringer developing a strong relationship that paid off in the long run.
“Coach Carrington just relates to the players really well,” Washington said. “He’s just kept it real with me the whole time, telling me what it is and isn’t. Coach Drew (Mehringer), he showed me specifically how they’d use me in the offense. They’ve kept it straight up, told me it’s not guaranteed at this level. Any coach telling you it is, is lying. They’ve said ‘We want you, but anything you get, you have to earn it.’”
Ranked No. 131 on the Rivals250, Washington is a physical presence who has a knack for making plays over defenders who struggle to contain him due to his size.
“Physically, he has ideal size for the wide receiver position. He’s tall, big-framed, not going to be pushed around by defensive backs,” said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Josh Helmholdt. “He also has that explosiveness, or a better term for it is suddenness, the ability to get from zero to top speed quickly. He has the ability to high point the football, ability to make the plays that other kids with his size and athleticism don’t have the ability to make.”
Washington becomes the Longhorn’s 20th commitment in the 2019 recruiting class, and the Longhorns’ fourth receiver commitment, joining Jake Smith, Jordan Whittington and Demariyon Houston. Peyton Powell is another who could play receiver at the next level.