Zina Umeozulu focused on three, talks UT official visit

Defensive end Zina Umeozulu has maintained throughout most of his recruitment that he was wide open, although he formally trimmed his list to nine schools back in late May. Fast forward a couple of months, and the talented pass-rusher out of Allen is now focused on three programs.

In June, Umeozulu took official visits to Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas, and those three teams are ahead of the pack.

“There’s a reason I took those three so early,” Umeozulu said. “They’re for sure the top three. They’re up at the top.”

Umeozulu was in Austin this weekend for his official visit. He was hosted by his brother, Texas offensive lineman Neto Umeozulu, and said the visit went well overall.

“I’d say the highlight was probably them really showing me how much they want me, how much of a need for the team I am,” Umeozulu said. “Also, I really liked my conversation with coach Sark, his philosophy for the team, what he’s trying to build with the culture there.”

With dead period kicking in at midnight tonight, Umeozulu will now have a chance to collect his thoughts and try to sort through his options. He said he doesn’t have a firm timeline for a decision.

“I’m not in any rush, but just whenever I get that feeling,” he said.

How close is the race? It’s pretty much a dead heat, Umeozulu said.

“Between those three, it’s very close. It changes almost every day,” he said.

When it comes time to make a final commitment, Umeozulu said he’ll come to a decision through a lot of prayer and conversation with his family. The message from Texas this weekend was pretty straightforward – come in and help make the defense better.

“They basically said the edge room, it needs to be improved. They feel I could come in and improve it,” Umeozulu said.

The 6-4, 220-pound Umeozulu is ranked as a four-star prospect and is a Rivals250 member.