David Gbenda on upcoming visits to A&M, Texas and TCU

When David Gbenda speaks, something doesn’t add up. There’s no way that someone with such a mild-mannered tone plays the way that he does on the football field - and hits with such ferocity.

Yet here the Katy-Cinco Ranch linebacker is, picking up offers left-and-right, and as excitable about each as if they are his first. After a MVP performance in last weekend’s The Opening regional in Houston, Gbenda blew up and has quickly eclipsed the double-digit offer threshold.

“The experience has been unreal,” he said. “I’m just really grateful, surprised and thankful for all the opportunities that I’ve got in the last few days.”

Highlighting the near future of his recruitment are the upcoming unofficial visits that he plans on taking to three of the state’s top programs. On Saturday, he’ll be at TCU, on Sunday, he’ll return to Texas, where he was at last month for a junior day event, and over spring break he’ll be in College Station to see Texas A&M. The Longhorns are the only team in that trio that has yet to offer him.

On Texas

“I don’t know if they want to offer me or not, but I feel like they are really interested,” he said. “It’s a really good school in my eyes too. I really like what they have going on with [Tom Herman] over there … I took from my last visit that he realizes what he’s done and how to improve upon last season. He got a great recruiting class in 2018 and he’s just really trying to set the bar that they’re improving.”

On Texas A&M

“I have a really great feeling for A&M,” he said. “They have a new staff and a new head coach there and I’m just really excited to see what they’re going to do there. They’re still A&M; they are a pretty good team and a pretty good school for your education.

“I’m really looking to see how the staff is settling in with the new players, and how they’re working together to be a better team.”

On TCU

“I know that the program recruits mostly speed guys and those are the type of guys that they have on their defense,” he said. “Coach (Gary) Patterson is a very experienced head coach. He told me that he liked my film when he saw it and he’s most interested in the speed aspect of my game.”

“I’m really just looking forward to see the facilities and the academic side of things,” he said. “I’m also really looking forward to seeing how Gary Patterson is working to help the team grow.”

Gbenda was offered by Baylor and SMU on Thursday and Missouri on Wednesday. He said that he’s already spoken with three of the Tigers coaches, including head coach Barry Odom. While he’s not had the chance to get as familiar with Missouri just yet, he said that if he can work out an official visit in the spring, he would like to.

“To be honest, I see the value in all the schools that have offered me because they’ve given me an opportunity,” he said. “But if I visit, I just want to get a look at their defensive schemes and what they have going on over there.”