Recent UT commit Eoghan Kerry thrilled with his decision to be a Longhorn
When Eoghan Kerry picked up an offer from the University of Texas, he let it be known that he was excited to have the opportunity to play for the school that was his childhood favorite. Less than a week later, Kerry turned those dreams into reality when he announced that he had committed to the Longhorns on August 4. For Kerry, who took an unofficial visit to Texas on July 30, it was an easy decision.
“Obviously being a Texas fan growing up, that played a huge part in the decision,” Kerry said. “From the moment I stepped on campus, I felt welcome, felt at home.”
Kerry became a fan of the Longhorns at a young age thanks to the influence of an uncle who is a Texas alumnus. Kerry said his uncle, who lives in Atlanta, would dress him up in Texas gear “since before I can remember” and his love for everything burnt orange just stuck. When he made his way to Austin last month for an unofficial visit, everything just felt right.
“It feels great. Obviously a huge weight has been lifted. The weight of making a decision is no longer there, which is really nice. I’m happy to be a Longhorn,” Kerry said. “One of the things I noticed while on campus, several of their GAs were former players for those coaches. That showed me that those coaches really build relationships that last with those players.”
On his visit, Kerry spent time with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian as well as defensive coaches Jeff Choate and Pete Kwiatkowski. Kerry got to pick the brains of the UT staff and feels he’ll fit in well with Kwiatkowski wants to do with his defense.
“I really love the defense that coach PK runs. It allows me a lot of versatility,” Kerry said. “They’re looking at the Mike (LB) or dime right now. I’ll get to line up in the box, down on line of scrimmage and rush the passer, drop into coverage, do a lot of things I do at Mater Dei. That’s really appealing to me. Talking to coach Sark, it was such a personable conversation with him. … And coach Choate, his history of coaching linebackers, I can tell he knows what he’s doing.”
The day of Kerry’s UT visit was the day that Texas formally accepted an invitation from the SEC to join the powerhouse conference. That upcoming move is intriguing for Kerry, who looks forward to challenging himself against college football’s best competition.
“That was part of the recruiting pitch. Right now the plan is to head there in 2025. They talked a lot about when we’re there, whether it be my senior year or hopefully before then, that we would get to play against the best of the best, compete against Alabama and coach Saban, play against Georgia,” Kerry said. “It really gives us visibility that the NFL looks for.”
At 6-2 and 232 pounds, Kerry has a terrific blend of size and speed, having clocked a laser-timed 4.59 40-yard dash at an Under Armour camp earlier this year. Kerry hopes that combination of size and athleticism will make him a valuable commodity in Kwiatkowski’s schemes.
“In some of their formations, they play a linebacker who does a lot of what a DB does. I would still be in the box, still be filling holes, blitzing, but also have the freedom to drop back (into coverage),” Kerry said. “One of the things (Kwiatkowski) talked about is versatility, having guys who don’t have to come off the field. He wants guys who can play linebacker and d-line, play linebacker and safety, so when you change packages, you don’t have to rush guys on and off the field.”
Kerry will graduate in December and enroll at Texas in January of next year. Despite his UT commitment, other schools have continued to show interest (Utah offered last week) but Kerry said he’s firm in his pledge.
“I think once Texas offered a lot of other schools noticed me. I tell them thank you, I appreciate their time but I’m a Longhorn,” Kerry said.