Longhorns score another huge recruiting win, land pledge from Xavion Alford

Another key recruiting battle in the state of Texas has been decided, and once again, it’s the Texas Longhorns delivering a late-round knock-out punch to the Texas A&M Aggies.

Pearland Shadow Creek defensive back Xavion Alford, one of the top players in the state, announced moments ago that he had added his name to the Texas commitment list, giving the Longhorns yet another head-to-head win over the Aggies. Xalford joins players like Princely Umanmielen, Vernon Broughton, Derrick Harris, Billy Bowman and Hayden Conner who have all chosen Texas over Texas A&M in recent weeks. Xalford also continues an incredible recruiting run for Texas that has seen the Longhorns snag a combined 15 commitments in the 2020 and 2021 classes since the calendar turned to July.

A Rivals250 member, Alford becomes Texas’ fourth defensive back commitment, joining recent commitments from Jerrin Thompson and Ethan Pouncey to go along with an earlier pledge from Kitan Crawford. His decision to commit to Texas caps what was a back-and-forth recruitment that featured a few different teams as perceived leaders over the past few months.

In July, while in Atlanta for the Five-Star Challenge, buzz began to circulate that Alford was planning to commit to Alabama. He decided to hold off on that decision and as the Crimson Tide began to add other players, Alford’s focus centered and the in-state Longhorns and Aggies. As recently as last weekend, there was confidence on the A&M side that Alford would be spending his college days in College Station. That confidence proved to be unfounded though and by midweek, the winds of momentum were blowing towards Austin. On Friday, Alford made it official, giving the Texas staff and fan base another reason to celebrate.

At 6-1 and 184 pounds, Alford is ranked as the nation’s 11th-best safety prospect. A well-rounded DB, Alford flashes a strong ability to make plays in the passing game with his ability to diagnose plays downfield and make plays on the ball over receivers, but he’s also a capable defender near the line of scrimmage who isn’t afraid of contact. He’s ranked as a four-star prospect and is the nation’s No. 146-ranked player overall by Rivals.com. Alford is UT’s eighth commitment from the Rivals250 list.