4 reasons Longhorns may have dodged a bullet by losing 5-star Felix Ojo to Texas Tech
The 6-foot-6, 275-pound prospect didn't even list Tech as a final four and told Rivals last week it was between Ohio State and Texas. In the end, Ojo took the big money from Texas Tech mega-booster and Matador Club founder Chad Campbell.
Could this end up being a blessing for Texas?
Ojo was reportedly the Longhorns No. 1 target during this recruiting cycle. Texas spent a lot of time, effort and capital to get him to Austin. No one blames a 17 or 18 year old for taking the biggest offer. But it is how Ojo handled himself over the past 10 days that should put up red flags.
Cash over player development
While taking the biggest offer is understandable, it is shortsighted. No one would say the player development at Texas Tech is as good as the Longhorns have been under Steve Sarkisian. Texas has the most NFL Draft picks over the past two years and have a great record of getting offensive lineman drafted high. Kelvin Banks Jr. went No. 9 to the Saints in the most recent draft. Ojo simply won't get the quality of coaching at Tech as he would at UT.
Most agents want the biggest deal possible. It seems logical. But sometimes that goal is at odds with the player's future. The agent wants his percentage of the money to be as much and as soon as possible. Ojo's representative Derrick Shelby probably won't be his agent when it comes time to negotiate his first NFL contract. But the cost for the client, in this case Ojo, is player development.
Disingenuous in the final days
Bobby Burton has covered the Longhorns for decades. The media legend helped found Rivals and 247Sports. Burton says Ojo purposely strung the coaching staffs of Texas and Ohio State along in the waning stages of his recruitment, even though his camp had made the decision to head to Lubbock. Playing coy in the press and on social media is one thing. Being less than truthful with other coaching staffs for spot is another level.
Disrespectful commitment ceremony
Many recruits play the old "hat switcheroo" at their commitment announcement. A lot of prospects, and even fans, find it funny. But coaches HATE it and they remember it. It is patently disrespectful to the staff that spent their time, effort, money and emotions to recruit you. Of course, the losing school has a lot of self interest each time they recruit a prospect. But unless you were treated poorly, there's no need to rub it in their faces at the end. Ojo did a real song and dance with the Longhorns cap at his commitment ceremony.
Recent struggles on the field
Ojo really struggled at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge last week. I have been to several of these events. When a guy struggles as bad as Ojo struggled, it can mean the player is over-ranked. High School players can spend most of their career dominating the opposition in their own district. Mansfield Lake Ridge High School is in a district with other Mansfield, Crowley and Weatherford schools. It is a district with decent, but not great, opposition.
Sometimes when a prospect meets elite talent for the first time at a national event, they are overwhelmed. The Five-Star challenge has the hundred best players in the nation and the defensive lineman Ojo faced ran over, around and through him all day. It was so bad Ojo had to issue a national statement after the camp. Ojo looked slow and lackadaisical and flat-out bullied.
Ojo might be incredible in Lubbock. He might be the No. 1 pick in the 2028 NFL Draft. He is certainly guaranteed to make a lot of money for himself and his family. But his entire recruitment does send up some warning signs that make it less likely Texas missed out on a generational talent and more likely the Horns dodged a bullet.
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