The University of Texas just successfully poached away one of their arch rival’s top defensive commits in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Kobie McKinzie recently decommitted from the Oklahoma Sooners due to Lincoln Riley jumping to USC. This gave the Longhorns the perfect opportunity to keep one of the top prospects in Texas in the Lone Star State.
Kobie McKinzie is a four-star linebacker out of Cooper High School in Lubbock, Texas. According to 247Sports Kobie is the 13th overall linebacker in the 2022 cycle, and a Top-25 prospect in Texas. He has 16 offers but has only visited Texas and Oklahoma out of that bunch.
This past weekend he took a visit down to Austin to get more familiar with the staff, and it looks like that meeting went very well. Back in February of 2019 McKinzie committed to the Sooners with the possibility of reclassifying into the ‘21 class. He however ended up staying a ‘22 recruit and was expected to enroll early at Oklahoma.
Texas now has the 7th best class in the 2022 recruiting circuit, and the best in the Big-12. He joins key in-state recruits like Bryan Allen Jr, Jaray Bledsoe, and Derrick Brown in what is a very defensive heavy class. The Longhorns are going through a major roster rebuild and have been struggling very mightly on defense this season. These recruits should be a big step in the right direction as Texas looks to move into the SEC.
