On Sunday, Wardell Mack flipped his verbal commitment from the University of Florida to UT. Mack, a Louisiana product, is currently ranked the 12th best cornerback in the nation and the fourth-best overall recruit out of Louisiana, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.
“Sark tells me he’s really high on me as a player and that he thinks I can come in and play early in the SEC when they make the move,” Mack said when talking to Horns247.
Mack chose Texas over other SEC programs, including Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Florida.
Louisiana’s top-ranked cornerback stands at 5 foot 11 inches and 170 pounds and is described by 247Sports’ Gabe Brooks as a “flat-out football player.” Mack has experience playing multiple positions on the field and has showcased his natural athleticism when playing wide receiver and quarterback in a wildcat package.
When talking about Mack’s attributes, Brooks says that Mack, “possesses the look and build of a corner but could also provide versatility in the secondary given (his) instinctive play style and ball skills.” Brooks also mentions how Mack is “quick to trigger on short-to-intermediate throws, plays sticky throughout the route (and) regularly crowds the catch window with his body and length.”
The Texas defense is currently ranked 12th in the Big 12 and 106th nationally in pass defense and gives up 247 passing yards per game. Recruiting talented players like Mack in the defensive backfield can help the Horns improve these numbers going forward.
Mack is the third top-five-rated Louisiana recruit to commit to Texas in the past two recruiting cycles. Early impact player Derek Williams and highly anticipated Arch Manning both came from the Boot to the Forty Acres this season. Getting the highest-rated talent out of Louisiana is no easy task as the state has been notoriously locked down by the LSU Tigers.
Over the past ten years of recruiting cycles, half of the top ten recruits out of Louisiana have committed to LSU. In eight of those cycles, the No. 1 recruit in Louisiana committed to the Tigers. Continuing to recruit players out of LSU’s backyard is going to help the Horns tremendously as they accumulate top-rated talent for the SEC.
Mack will join four-star defensive backs Jordon Johnson-Rubell, Aeryn Hampton and Santana Wilson in Texas’ 2024 recruiting class. Texas is still searching for a commitment from five-star cornerback Kobe Black from Waco, Texas.
Texas’ 2024 recruiting class is now ninth in the nation and has 20 commitments so far. If Texas can close on some more top targets this cycle, it has the chance to finish with a top-five recruiting class three years in a row.
