The Texas Longhorns have had a tremendous amount of success recruiting outside the state of Texas for the 2019 class. Heading into the weekend, Texas had five out-of-state commitments from some of the nation’s top overall prospects.
You can add one more to the tally.
Rivals250 wide receiver Demariyon Houston announced on Twitter moments ago that he was adding his name to the Texas commitment list, giving the Longhorns yet another standout pledge from beyond the borders of the Lone Star State.
The 6-0, 170-pound Houston, out of Oklahoma City Millwood, is an explosive playmaker who is being courted by Texas as an outside receiver. His speed and hands make him a valuable weapon who could add some big-play ability to the Texas offense once he gets on campus.
“I’ve had him since he was a freshman,” said Millwood wide receivers coach Nick Henderson. “We’re a 2A school, at most 2A schools you have to play kids both ways. I’ve been blessed and haven’t had to play Demariyon both ways. Can he? Yes. But I want him to be an elite wide receiver.
“He’s turned his skill up. The kid is lightning fast. The kid ran a 4.31 digital last year. When he ran, Oregon was there, they were like ‘Oh yeah, no brainer.’ He’s lightning fast, his hands are amazing.”
Henderson said Houston is more than just a one-trick pony who can only rely on his speed. When Hendeson told Houston he needed to improve the areas of his game away from the ball, the standout receiver took the challenge to heart.
“I told him, ‘You don’t block well.’ At the next level, you can be a fast kid on be on the sidelines. He made it a purpose this year to be one of best wide receivers who blocked,” Henderson said. “He’s one of my best blockers this year. He surprised me. He’ll block one guy, then he’s running with (running back) Marcus (Major) in the end zone. A lot of people see the glitz and glamour, catching TDs, but he works hard. He will go to the football field when no one is there. … He just works on his own. He wants to be the best.”
Houston won a state championship in both the 100 meters and 200 meters as a sophomore. He decided to focus on football this spring and let his body take a rest from the grind of track and field. According to Millwood head coach Darwin Franklin, Houston has a combination of every trait you want in a football player, both as an athlete and in his character.
“He definitely brings speed. He brings a high energy. He’s a very competitive guy. Four years of starting. I think his first start was game two of his freshman year,” Franklin said. “He’s just been one of those guys who has been a staple for us. He has consistently gotten better, hasn’t rested. At first, he could run a deep route and run by people. He has increased his speed, but he also understood he has to develop other parts of his game – the intermediate routes, short routes, punt return, kick return. A lot of people think ‘Oh he can go for the deep ball, so he’s okay,’ but he wants to be an all-around receiver. You put him in there, he will do anything for the success of the team. He understands he has to work. He’s not a guy who is going to rest on his laurels.”
Houston missed the early portion of his junior year with an injury that sprung up last summer. Though he wanted to be on the field and pestered his coaches to put him into the games, they took a cautious approach and brought him along slowly. While on the sidelines, Houston showed tremendous maturity and leadership, Franklin said.
“He comes to work every day. He’s definitely a leader, teaches the young guys. While he was out, he made sure they got better, took them under his wing,” Franklin said. “He was a coach on the sidelines, to tell you the truth. He’s just constantly energetic, has football knowledge, delivering that to the younger guys, understanding the why he’s doing what he’s doing.”
After Houston visited Texas back in March, he mentioned how he connected with the UT staff’s message of caring for its players beyond the realm of football. The Texas coaches stressed to Houston that they try to make their players better in all areas of life – in fatherhood, as a husband, in the workforce. That message carried a lot of weight and was one of the factors that led to Texas winning out in the long run.
“A lot of what we do at Millwood is we talk about the whole person, that football can’t be the only thing you’re going to school for,” coach Franklin said. “If that’s all you’re doing it for, you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
“We had him stand on football until he fell off and told him ‘That’s how long football will support you.’ You have to have other things to lean on. Texas did that, they spoke about everything other than football. That was the last thing they talked about. That meant something. … It’s an environment (at Millwood) where we want them to have success on the field, but also succeed in life, be great husbands, great fathers, citizens and members of society. That’s what he got when he went there. From what I understand, he said it just felt like home.”
A four-star prospect, Houston becomes the Longhorns’ 13th commitment of the 2019 class and second of the day after Alvin cornerback Marques Caldwell, who committed on Saturday afternoon.
Houston held close to 30 offers at the time of his commitment, including scholarships from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, K-State, Ole Miss, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, TCU and Tennessee.
