Take Two: Will Oklahoma or Texas land Bryson Washington?

CLASS OF 2019 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | State | Position | Team

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com National Recruiting Analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.

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Bryson Washington has more than 20 offers, but the four-star safety made a huge move in his recruitment recently when he narrowed his choices to Oklahoma and Texas.

That is especially exciting for people following his recruitment because this is just another example of the Sooners and the Longhorns battling for an elite prospect. Texas seemed to hold an edge for the Houston (Texas) C.E. King standout, but a recent official visit to Oklahoma could have completely changed everything.

Washington had a phenomenal trip to Norman. He loves the coaching staff and the players there and he could make a huge impact in defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s new defense. But the four-star has taken numerous visits to Texas, and he’s taking his official there in early June before he makes his decision around July 4.

Texas will have the final shot to convince Washington that it’s the right place for him. It seemed like the Longhorns were the clear frontrunner. But Oklahoma did a whole lot to close the gap and possibly even take the slightest lead heading through the spring.

Will it be Texas or Oklahoma for the four-star safety?

“For the longest time, I felt Texas had a commanding lead there. He’s been on campus so many times, he’s already had positive things to say about the program and he has such a great relationship with the entire Texas staff. But it does certainly seem like that pendulum has swung in Oklahoma’s direction after his recent official visit.

“Does that mean Oklahoma is leading? I’m not sure. My gut tells me it’s pretty close to a neck-and-neck race, but Texas will get the last visit in late June before he announces. Anytime you get the last crack at a player, that can usually carry some weight. I still slightly favor Texas for that reason, but it really is a tough one to call right now.”

“This is going to come down a lot to the last visits with Tom Herman and Lincoln Riley. That’s what makes the recruiting battle so exciting between those two schools because it’s a question of who gets them on campus last. They’re both so good at closing and they’re both so good at in-person recruiting that getting the last visit suddenly becomes a big deal.

"We will see this play out more and more as we head into official visits and more and more as we head into 2021 and 2022. Because Texas has the last visit and he’s been leaning toward that school. I think it’s going to get him, but it’s really hard to predict with these two coaches because they both do such a good job.”