Four-star DE Princely Umanmielen picks Florida

In the end, Princely Umanmielen found home.

Umanmielen, a four-star defensive end from Manor (Texas) High School, signed his national letter of intent with Florida on Wednesday, ending a recruitment with its fair share of twists, turns and no shortage of unpredictability.

The Austin-area standout was committed to Texas from August through October before re-opening his recruitment amid new interests from LSU, Auburn, Florida, USC and Oklahoma. Baylor was a major threat in the fall and Texas A&M had garnered some momentum with the nation's No. 13-ranked strong-side end at different spurts, but the Longhorns and Bears went toe-to-toe for the Manor standout down the stretch before he announced in favor of Florida at his signing ceremony.

At one point in the recruiting cycle, Umanmielen was favoring Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and LSU, but the four-star defensive end would admit that he got very caught up in the Longhorns' summer momentum on the recruiting trail and committed to Texas ahead of his senior season at Manor High.

However, that commitment was short-lived and by October, had pressed reset on his recruitment.

Umanmielen's decommitment from Texas coincided with new offers from Florida and Auburn, as well as USC. It also happened to transpire just days removed from an official visit to Oklahoma that got the four-star defensive end thinking ... again.

Throughout the fall, Umanmielen evaluated his fit in different defensive schemes, relationships and kept a close eye on the SEC. In the midst of new interest in Auburn and Florida, Umanmielen took a liking to nearby Baylor, which at the time was headed by Coach Matt Rhule.

Umanmielen forged a really strong bond with Rhule, which put Baylor in a very advantageous position around December. Rhule's departure to the NFL seemingly was a shot in the leg for the Bears' chances with the Manor product, but it's important to recall Umanmielen's longstanding connection with Dave Aranda and Dennis Johnson, who recruited him at their previous stints at LSU.

Texas also emerged as a serious threat after hiring Chris Ash as the defensive coordinator and retaining Giles, who obviously compelled Umanmielen to commit earlier in the cycle.

However, in keeping up with a theme of predictability, Umanmielen chose the Gators, the SEC and a relationship with David Turner that began in the fall.

Umanmielen is a productive, physically gifted defensive end that can step in at multiple positions in the Texas defensive front. The four-star is a prototypical strong-side defensive end, but also took snaps in 2019 from a stand-up edge-rusher position or inside with two hands in the dirt. That versatility should allow Umanmilelen to get onto the field sooner rather than later.

Umanmielen has excellent first-step quickness off the line and plays with a fantastic motor. He has a nasty streak to him and is a violent tackler, and that's very clear whenever he's on the field. That initial burst and consistent pressure generated is what makes Umanmielen so special. He's also very strong with great reach, which allows him to successfully battle in the trenches and plague opposing quarterbacks.

The new Gator is a sure tackler in the open field and his length allows him to contribute as a pass-rusher even when he doesn't finish. He can effectively shed blockers and gravitates toward the ball consistently, but it's an area that'll need to be shored up over time.