Offensive lineman Austin Uke continues to see his stock soar, and late last week it was the Texas Longhorns who officially entered the race with a scholarship offer presented to Uke on Friday. The offensive tackle prospect, who is fresh off a state championship with his Dallas Parish Episcopal teammates, said he was thrilled to finally get the call from Texas offensive line coach Herb Hand.

“I’ve been talking to Texas since November, mid-November. Coach Hand called me the other night. He was talking about offering me for a good amount of time. He was saying he was extending the offer finally, hopefully they’ll be seeing me in Austin soon,” Uke said. “It was really satisfying to have it. I’ve been talking to them for so long, to get that offer is super exciting. I’ve always liked Texas, always watched them play.”

Uke’s offer sheet has explode so much over the past two months that he’s continually having to reassess his options. He’s considering trying to get to Austin sometime soon for a self-guided tour and is a bit unsure of when he’ll commit to a school and sign his letter of intent.

“The way things looking now, I’m probably going to sign in February. But if a school just sticks out between now and then, I might sign early,” Uke said.

The 6-4, 260-pound Uke said every school that’s still talking to him is still a possibility. He mentioned USC, Northwestern, Penn State, Stanford and Florida State as schools that have stayed in close contact. You can now add Texas into the mix.

“They’re definitely near the top,” Uke said. “Texas a really good program, always consistently good.”

Uke is a strong student, so academics will play a big part in his decision. He hopes to major in biomedical engineering, and mentioned that schools like Stanford, Northwestern and Texas are strong in that field.

In talking to Hand, Uke said it’s been stressed to him that he’d have a chance to play early and be developed for a possible career in the NFL.

“He’s just said that he puts offensive linemen in the NFL, as well as he plays freshman,” Uke said. “I know a guy on the team (Andrej Karic) who is a true freshman who played last week and played pretty well.”

When it comes time to decide, Uke said there are a few components that will separate one team from the pack.

“It’ll just be a school where there’s a tight bond between the coaches and players, like a family,” Uke said. “That and academics, of course.”