As a member of the 2024 class, Ryan Pellum hasn’t even started his sophomore year of high school. That hasn’t stopped college coaches from taking notice of the Long Beach (CA) Millikan athlete, with Pellum already holding close to 30 scholarship offers.

One of those offers comes from the Texas Longhorns, and Pellum got a chance to see the UT program first-hand earlier this summer.

“It was fun. We got up there, did a little private workout and took a tour of the University of Texas, and then afterword we did a camp,” Pellum said.

With so many options and with so much time left in his recruitment, Pellum is keeping an open mind to the schools that have offered him, but Texas did make a good first impression.

“I like it down south. Texas is definitely one of the top schools I like,” Pellum said.

On his UT visit, the 5-10, 155-pound Pellum got some one-on-one time with Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian. He also got to check into Texas’ academic programs and liked what he saw there, including the fact that UT has classes that could eventually help him pursue a chiropractic career.

“Sark said he liked me because he sees potential in me because I’m young. He’s the one that offered me so I got to talk to him a little bit,” Pellum said. “I asked about the major I want to major in and they have the specific classes for that, so that’s good.

Along with Texas, schools like Oregon, Florida State, Texas A&M, LSU, Miami and Notre Dame have put offers on the table for Pellum. The playmaking athlete has plenty of time to sort through his options, but already has plans to graduate a semester early to get a jumpstart on his college career. When it does come time to narrow his list or ultimately make a decision, Pellum has a few elements that will factor into his choice.

“When I get to a school, I want to build a family, build a brotherhood. I definitely want to win some games and then try to get to the NFL,” he said.