Malcolm Epps talks about his UT visit, where the Longhorns fit in
Elite tight end prospect Malcolm Epps has said all along that he was going to take the recruiting process at a slow pace. In fact, the one-time Alabama commitment has stated repeatedly that he wanted to wait until National Signing Day before making a final decision. That nearly changed this week.
Epps, a Rivals250 member, sent the Longhorn fan base into a frenzy on Monday night when he tweeted to UT tight ends coach Corby Meekins that he may visit the Texas campus on Tuesday ready to deliver some news. After camping at Texas on Tuesday night, Epps admitted that it did cross his mind to commit.
“I was going to do it, but I’m going to wait. I have to wait for things to come and then I’m going to do it all at the right time,” Epps said.
The Spring Dekaney product spent a few hours on the Texas campus meeting with the UT coaches on Tuesday afternoon, then followed that up with a workout at a Longhorns mini-camp. He feels like he put on a good showing overall.
“I worked out, did everything - the 40s, the vertical, all those things,” Epps said. “I showed them why the scholarship they offered me is good, and I feel like I would be a good part of this program.”
With the timing of his decision now in question, Epps said he’ll announce his final decision when the feeling is right and when he and his family have a chance to go through all his options.
“When everything comes together and I get everything that I need, then I’ll let you all know,” Epps said. “I’m going to sit down with my family, we’re going to talk about it. When we all feel the time is right, then it will happen.”
Epps has a final grouping of Texas, Ohio State, UCLA, Florida, Texas A&M and Alabama. While he’ll consider all six schools, his comments on social media combined with his recent visit to Texas seem to be clear indicators that the Longhorns have the inside track. On Tuesday’s visit, prior to the camp, Epps spent a lot of time with the UT coaches and got to watch some film to see how he would be used in the Texas offense.
“They showed me the new locker room, which is amazing. I had never seen that before. It looks futuristic,” Epps said. “And just talking about the offense, like usual.”
And what would Epps bring to the Texas offense if he was to choose the Longhorns?
“A new type of weapon that Texas hasn’t seen yet, because the tight end now, they put their hand in the ground more. I bring that flex-style position that the Big 12 probably isn’t ready for yet,” Epps said.
The 6-6, 225-pound Epps said he does not have any other visits or camps lined up that he knows of. As for the timing of his decision, there are some indicators that a decision could be coming soon, but Epps said he may continue to wait things out a while.
“I still want to weigh my options and see what happens,” Epps said. “You never know what might happen. Some people might get fired, some people might get hired. You never know.”