As the 2024 season approaches and official visits wrap up, the Texas Longhorns have extended new offers to defensive tackle prospects Caleb Bell from Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton and Joseph Mbatchou from Loganville (Ga.). Both players received their offers on Wednesday.
Currently, both Bell and Mbatchou are committed to other programs—Bell to the Arkansas Razorbacks since June, and Mbatchou to the Florida Gators since late July.
A key factor to consider is Texas defensive line coach Kenny Baker’s strong connections to Georgia. Baker, who is a native of Georgia, has a background that includes playing at Gardner-Webb, coaching at Gardner-Webb and Mercer, and holding regional positions at UT-Chattanooga and Western Kentucky before spending a season with the Miami Dolphins as an assistant defensive line coach.
With Texas joining the SEC this season, Baker’s connections to Georgia could play a significant role in expanding the Longhorns’ recruiting reach in the conference. It remains to be seen whether Baker’s ties to Georgia will start yielding results for Texas.
Baker might also leverage the current instability of Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman and Florida head coach Billy Napier, both of whom are under pressure this season, to potentially flip Bell and Mbatchou if their teams struggle.
Although both Bell and Mbatchou are consensus three-star recruits and not highly ranked—Mbatchou is rated outside the top 1,200 prospects and among the top 130 defensive linemen according to the 247Sports Composite—their solid size (Bell at 6’3″ and 270 pounds, Mbatchou at 6’4.5″ and 275 pounds) makes them valuable prospects for the Longhorns, who have a pressing need for depth at defensive tackle.
While Baker’s primary goal is to attract higher-ranked prospects, as evidenced by his success in flipping Sharma from Oregon to Texas, the immediate need for additional defensive tackles remains a critical focus for the Longhorns.
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