Texas Longhorns lose out on an elite offensive lineman to an in-state rival, but he never gave them a fair shot
The Texas Longhorns lost out on elite 2028 offensive tackle Austin Attalah to Texas Tech.
The Texas Longhorns lost an elite 2028 recruit to one of their biggest in-state rivals. Austin Attalah, the 6’7, 305-pound offensive tackle from Orange Lutheran in San Bernardino, California, committed to Texas Tech over the Texas Longhorns and the USC Trojans.
Attalah is a 93.99 composite-rated four-star prospect, a top-15 player in the country, the No. 2 offensive tackle nationally, and the No. 2 player in the state of California. He’s one of the best offensive linemen in the entire country, and the Longhorns should be somewhat upset they lost out on him.
Should Texas be worried?
The short answer is no. The Longhorns were never really predicted to land Attalah. In fact, Texas never even got to host him for a visit. That doesn’t mean they can’t still do that. A commitment in today’s recruiting landscape doesn’t prevent a player from visiting other schools. That’s extremely common in the sport right now.
Attalah took three visits with USC, which makes sense given his proximity to the Trojans as a Southern California kid. He then took one visit to Texas Tech, and that single trip was all he needed. Texas Tech has become known for throwing around some of that NIL money at recruits, and that’s fine. That’s the name of the game today, and they’re doing it right. But the Longhorns didn’t even get to visit Attalah, and that could still change down the road.
Where the Longhorns stand in 2028 recruiting
Texas currently has one commitment in the 2028 recruiting class in Neimann Lawrence, a four-star quarterback. That shouldn’t cause any panic. This is the 2028 class we’re talking about. The Longhorns don’t have to finalize their class until February of 2028, so there’s still a long runway ahead. They’re getting close in some of these recruiting battles already, and the cycle is only just beginning.
Is this a big loss? Kind of, because the player is that good. But it’s not a big loss in terms of the Longhorns getting simply outdone by other programs. That’s just not the case. Texas didn’t really have a chance in this one, and they could still make an impact on the recruit. We just don’t know when that would be if they were to pursue it. The Longhorns are going to be fine. This is not anything to panic about.
