Rivals250 CB D'Shawn Jamison announces commitment to Texas
HOUSTON, Tex. -- Try as he might to keep an air of mystery around his recruitment, one team more than any other had been linked to Rivals250 cornerback D’Shawn Jamison.
On Saturday evening among friends and family, Jamison put an end to the suspicion that he was headed anywhere other than Texas and announced his commitment to the Longhorns with a video shown at Beezy Fitness in Houston. Jamison adds yet another high profile in-state name to Texas' class, which looks to be its best since 2012.
Wearing a hat with the school's logo emblazoned in chrome and sporting a million-dollar smile to match - which he needed for the countless pictures with those that came out to congratulate him - he couldn't help but show his excitement over his decision.
“What stood out was Coach (Jason) Washington, Bryan (Carrington) and Coach (Tom) Herman, Coach (Craig) Naivar, they all came together and showed me how they play defense on the team,” he said. “Also with Herman, he’s a real coach. He’s been real with me; he told me that he doesn’t just put out freshman - If I want to play, learn how to play, touch the football, then I have a chance to play as a true freshman.”
For all the attention that the Longhorns class has received so far this year - and rightfully so - the meat of it lies with its defensive backs. Jamison is the fifth commitment in 2018 headed to the secondary and the fourth within the Rivals250. He's one of the country’s top ball-hawking defensive backs, capable of playing anywhere in the defensive backfield and creating big special teams plays.
“I see myself replacing P.J. (Locke III) and Hollywood [Holton Hill],” he said. “They think that I can play all three positions [in the secondary] and they also want me on kick return and punt return so I plan on doing all that stuff just to help out the team.”
Judging from the feedback that Herman and company have given him, he should have every opportunity to fill the cleats those players will eventually leave behind.
“Texas says that I'm very versatile,” he said. “They told me that the way I play on the field, I can play any and every position. They told me I'm a great runner, I know how to attack the ball, I know how to blitz, I can do all kinds of things out there on the field.”
If there was one team that seemed to pose a major threat in luring Jamison away from the Longhorns, it was TCU. Prior to his announcement, he wouldn’t allow for the Horned Frogs, or even a team like Oregon, to be counted out. Even now, he expects the Frogs to continue keeping up their interest in him.
“I do expect TCU to keep coming hard,” he said. “The way they're playing right now, they're undefeated. I still want to take my official, I'm just going to watch them play, still talk to the coaches and be real with them and tell them how I feel about the team.”
Jamison’s Houston-Lamar teammate and Rivals100 wide receiver Al’Vonte Woodard committed to Texas over the summer, and was in attendance for the announcement. With the two now looking towards their careers at Texas, he expects their friendship will continue to help them both improve as players.
“Right now it’s good going against each other in practice and one-on-ones, because everything we do is very competitive,” he said. “It’s a weight off my shoulders that we can keep this going on at the college level. Our friendship is very close and has a lot to do with our competitiveness. We run on two different teams for our track team but we’re competitive in every sport.”
With his announcement wrapped up, Jamison is focused on a strong finish to his senior season, but it’s clear he’s looking forward to a bright career with the Longhorns.
“For me and the rest of the 2018 class, we're going to do something great at UT,” he said. “We all said that we're going to change the program with Coach Herman. We all came together said we're going to do this together, take this in, and be positive and be humble about it.”