Jarell Cherry picks up Longhorns offer, ready for more

One of the most impressive players taking part in Texas’ Under the Lights camp last Saturday night was 2018 defensive end Jarell Cherry.

Right now, he’s a big outside linebacker with top-shelf pass rushing ability, but the Longhorns - among others - will be keeping a close eye on how much more he grows physically between now and the end of his senior season. He had great success in 1-on-1 reps during the camp; all coming standing up off the line and from the edge.

“I feel like I am a good person to transfer from linebacker to defensive end,” he said. “I feel like I am a special person on the field and that’s what Von Miller is.”

He mentions often how he compares himself to the Denver Broncos defensive star and it’s not without warrant. It’s not surprising that a defensive end that weighs-in at 6-3, 226-pounds uses his speed and quickness as his weapon of choice, but his construction of lean muscle really gives him an X-factor quality that will make stunts and blitzes all the more dangerous for some defensive coordinator.

Following the Texas camp, he picked up just his third offer after SMU and Texas Tech were the first programs to begin recruiting him in earnest.

TEXAS

“Even though people are forgetting about what Texas is, how they have a strong mentality as a football team and they’ve been doing it for a long time now.”

“I talk to Coach B.J. [Brian Jean-Mary] and when I am out here I do talk to Coach Strong, I can talk to him,” he said. “They tell me keep working at it, rest my legs, don’t overwork things and they say ‘your gift is very special,’ and to ‘keep up with it.’”

SMU & TEXAS TECH

“I love both schools, those are the ones took a chance on me and I can appreciate that.” he said. “Both schools are very talented and I love the way they’ve taken an interest in me. They seem me as the same player that others do as a linebacker and defensive end.”

Cherry has all the ingredients of one of those players whose offer list explodes after his first big game or an arbitrary camp performance. With the offseason essentially over, things will probably take off in the way of the former for him, but top players tend to pick up offers in bunches, and he seems well on his way. Cherry has been to Texas’ last two camps and one at Alabama last month.

He also said that he would like to take visits to SMU and Texas tech before the end of the summer, but said that he has more firm plans to visit Houston on August 6. Texas tends to be more discriminating in its approach to handing out offers, so for Cherry to pick one up at this point in his recruitment speaks to his potential over the next couple of years. He is quick to point out that he leaves his recruitment up to his coach for now, but it’s clear that he’s motivated to convince more programs to pursue him.

“I took on the summer strong, now I’m going to take on the season strong,” he said.