Louisiana OL commits to the Longhorns

Texas offensive line coach Joe Wickline, like most offensive line coaches, likes big, physical, and high-effort offensive linemen and for the second time since he arrived at Texas, Wickline looked toward Louisiana to land a prospect that fits that mold.

Early this afternoon, the Longhorns received some good news and their offensive line class grew to four when Many, Louisiana three-star prospect Garrett Thomas announced his commitment to Texas. Thomas, who targeted an end to his recruitment around this time, knew all he needed to know about his prospective choices and didn't hesitate to go ahead and make a decision.

"I was on a trip last week. We went Tennessee," Thomas said Tuesday about when he arrived at his decision. "We just go up to mountains and hang out. A lot of streams and stuff and you can tube down. It was a lot to thinking time. That's when I started to really weigh my options. I had a lot of free time; time to figure out things. I pretty much know all I needed to know about the schools. Some of them I visited more than others. I gathered knowledge from talking to coaches, players and doing my research."

With so many attractive options to choose from - Thomas picked Texas from a narrowed down list that included Michigan, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, and South Carolina in addition to offers from schools like Auburn, Arkansas, Miami, and TCU - the commitment decision boiled down to Thomas looking ahead into his future off the football field as a professional. Fortunately for Texas, one of its most highly-respected programs was just what the 6-5 offensive lineman was looking for.

"One thing that really helped me finalize my decision and break things down… so many of those schools are great football schools, great for o-lineman," Texas' newest offensive lineman commitment said. "What it really came down to is I wanted to have a Petroleum Engineering degree. My family is all in the oil industry. Texas and OU were the only two that had that degree. I was looking at the depth chart a lot and what the coaches liked and what was coming in and what was coming out. I had to make sure I could fit in with the coaching staff and looking around I really feel like I fit with my future school."

Thomas is scheduled to be in Austin again at Texas' July 18th camp. He joins Toby Weathersby , Patrick Vahe , and Ronnie Major as Texas OL commits. At 6-5, Thomas has the size to play right tackle, but he could be a prospect that ends up at guard at the next level.

"Thomas is a big bodied prospect with a bit of a mean streak," said Rivals.com analyst Jason Howell. "He tends to get too high, but he does have the flexibility you look for and he finishes off his blocks and looks for another to pick up. I see him as a right tackle prospect or a guard-type right now on the college level and there is room for plenty of development with his frame."